Chapter Text
The second Wizarding War is finally over, the Dark Lord was no more. And Severus Snape, who had somehow survived Nagini's fatal attack, became a celebrated War hero with mixed opinions. A brave man, who hid under the facade of Dark to work and spy tirelessly for the Light. Severus himself, couldn't find any reason, energy ,or motivation to correct them. Who cares what those hungry griffins at the Daily Prophet think, he's too tired for that shit and he already knows that his current reputation is the work of one, Harry James Potter.
Still, it was quite annoying how he couldn't even go grocery shopping without getting pitying looks or random people coming up to ask about him.
So he left the Wizarding World and retreated back to his cottage in Spinner's End. If he wanted some peace of mind, he needed to get away from that place and Severus knew it well. Still, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of melancholy as he left, not looking back. Magic had always been his safe space, Hogwarts- though something that he would never want to experience again- had always felt safer than home for him. A place where he wasn't threatened by drunken curses and angry beatings.
But he left, giving his wand back to the Ministry as he wasn't going to return, and he took time for himself. For what felt like the first time in his entire life, Severus Snape was finally at peace.
Resting in Peace, to be exact.
He didn't know why it happened, or how it did. But just as he began to settle comfortably back in Spinner's End, a horrible storm struck the area, what followed afterwards was a flood. Had he stayed in the Wizarding World for just a few more days, he most likely would have survived. But alas, his luck was shit.
Severus Snape, war hero, spy extrodinaire, died to some water. Pathetically laughable.
As he died, he saw flashes of green eyes begging him to stay awake, the screams of his co-workers for a healer. Severus died content, knowing at least some people still cared about him.
"He's gone..."
Severus Snape awoke to damp ceilings, and the smell of alcohol gone bad. He was resting on a very rickety and uncomfortable bed, his body felt sore and moving was painful, he hadn't felt aything like this for a long time, excluding Nagini's bite. It felt like he was kicked back to his childhood, when he would go to bed every night sporting fresh new bruises.
He survived?
Not likely, he knows that miracles don't happen twice, and even if it did, he doubts that Saint Mungo's would leave a war hero in such a condition. He stood up slowly, time travel via death was unheard of, but if his theory is correct-
And he was exactly right- a young boy, around eight or so, stared back at him in the dusty mirror. He looked exactly like himself when he was young. When his father's beatings hadn't become a daily occurance and more of a weekly thing. Big, bright onyx eyes, and an unhooked nose looked weird on him, reminding him that he actually took most of his looks after his mother.
Eileen Prince Snape wasn't an exceptional beauty, perhaps a bit plain compared to the three pearls of the Black Family, but as the only heiress of the reclusive Prince family, she couldn't have possibly been anything but beautiful. But the light in her eyes had dimmed when she ran away to marry Tobias Snape, who she believed will finally give her the sense of adventure she had always longed for, but then turned out to be an abusive drunkard.
Severus's cherubic face scrunched up when he reminded himself of how his mother had desperately deluded herself into thinking that she could change Tobias, leaving her and himself to become Tobias's personal punching bags. Pride was a big thing in the Wizarding World, and he understood that coming back to the Prince family was an absolute 'no'. But she had other choices didn't she? Did she care about him at all?
No- no, Severus. He needs to stop being so negative all the time, he just went back in time for Merlin's sake, this was time to start making plans. Eileen may had been a weak willed woman with no back bone, but she didn't raise an idiot. If he, out of all the people, was sent back then he must have been for a reason. But just as he started to make plans, he was suddenly hit with a thought.
'Why does he have to do this?'
The war was already over, at least in his previous life, he had done his part once and he wasn't willing to risk his everything again. He remembered how he had to sit through horrible meeting and merely watch as the Dark Lord laughed while whatever poor Muggle got tortured that day scream in pain. He remembered how he had been killed like an insignificant bug the moment he was no longer useful to him. He was tortured, used and abandoned like a mere tool, which is most likely what the Dark Lord views him as.
He didn't want to do it again. His mind couldn't possibly take another war. Severus was a very brave, and strong, man. But he couldn't go through the tragedies of his last life, not again.
He flopped back into the bed, ignoring how it creaked as his small body hit the hard matress. He should focus on other things, he vowed to never do anything as stupid as becoming a spy again, and he wasn't going to break that vow even in another life.
After 10 minutes, he finally gathered himself and got up. It was still May, the hot summer sun felt like it was trying to grill him alive inside of the house. Their family couldn't afford air conditioners, the only fan they had was in Tobias's room, leaving Severus to suffer throughout the horrible summers. He remembered how he would regularly come over to Lily's house to just to enjoy how cool their house was compared to his.
He forcefully thought of something else, as his hand waved to cast a cooling charm on the room, his young and underdeveloped magical core, coupled with his clumsy hands barely made it, but he succeeded. After a few seconds, the room went from boiling hot to pleasantly cool. And that was when Severus finally stopped to actually look at his room.
There were a few bottles and cans of beer around, presumably from Tobias. A thin layer of dust was covered every wooden surface of the room, including the floor. He sighed, that cooling charm is definitely not the only magic he'll be doing for the day.
Several 'Scourgifys' later, young Severus Snape is now completely exhausted, his young core not used to such an excercise. He cleaned his entire room, fixed the bed, door and windows. His room, perhaps not as glorious and flashy as the Malfoy guest bedroom, was now liveable at the very least.
He also casted several healing spells for his face and body, or else he would limp the entire day. Severus had never considered himself a vain person, Lucius fits the mold better, but he was admittedly quite cute when he was young. Nothing poster Pureblood model child, but cute enough to make an impression. In the wizarding world, the rule followed by all pureblood was a simple one.
First is talent. Second is power. And third is appearance.
When he came to Hogwarts, he had no power, and he wasn't bullied for no reason, he looked downright horrible. And he was so, very aware of that fact. But he had an abundance of the talent, that was the only reason why he had been fished out by Malfoy and delivered straight to the Dark Lord.
He walked out of the house, it was a Saturday and there is no way Tobias wouldn't waste the entire day drinking his life away at a bar. While his mother would most likely sleep to recover from whatever Tobias made her go through the previous night. The sun was shining, wind was blowing in his face, and Severus noted how his hair was tickling his mid-back. He'll just buy a hair ribbon-
... He didn't have money.
That was a problem, if he didn't have any money then all his plans to run away to live in the woods like a reclusive hermit was going to be thrown out of the window. He couldn't owe Lucius, as good as a friend he is the man could really use some good decision making skills, if he were to borrow money he would use that debt to introduce him to Voldemort and that spells nothing but disaster.
What could he possibly do, he thought as he walked around the neighborhood. Though the place his house was located his basically a slum, rampant with criminals, the other side of Spinner's End was a rather pleasant little town where the people were very friendly, most likely because they are rich and don't have to fight to survive. He briefly wondered how a place could be so different from each other half. He must have looked very out of place with his worn cotten clothes and long dark hair.
He came across an old man, kneeling next to a bycicle alongside a little girl, who looked like she was about to cry, presumably his granddaughter?
Feeling particularly generous, as well as a mixture of boredom and curiosity, he walked over and asked "Hello sir, is there something wrong? You seem rather distressed."
"Ah, it's nothing chap," The old man said "My little Alice's bike just needs a little repairing. She fell and the chain just snapped. My hands aren't as firm as they used to be, I'll just have to wait 'till my son comes home."
The young girl sniffed, refusing to let the tears gathered in her eyes fall. But it was horribly obvious from how red her face was. Severus had never been a fan of children, his hatred only intensified in his time as a teacher, but he never actively terrorized them outside of his classroom aside from the occasional snide comment here and there.
"Hmm.." He put his hand on his chin, "I know a bit about mechanics, would you like me to help?"
The old man laughed, perhaps he didn't believe that an 8 year old boy could do anything, but was willing to entertain him away, "Well, go ahead then!"
He peered at the bike, his hands lightly brushed over the wheels, and the bike chain. A quick 'Reparo' made the bike chain mend itself back together with a small 'snap' sound. He got up and said "I fixed it, it should be fine now."
The old man waddled over, seemingly impressed. His granddaughter ran up and grabbed it, testing her newly repaired bicycle out. Smiling when she realized. that the bike really was fixed
"Thank you!" She said with a blinding smile on her face.
Her grandfather laughed when she nearly tripped over herself in her excitement. He reached into his pocket and pulled out 5 pounds, pushing it into Severus's hands "There 'ya go young chap! Thanks a lot!"
Severus nodded, and absentmindently walked away from the pair, he looked down at the 5 pounds in his hands. And came up with an idea.
Summer came and went, soon the school year started and he's back in the student seat he loathed so much. During the summer, he had accumilated some money, around 150 pounds, by going around town and doing random odd jobs, whether it's babysitting, helping someone twice his age with homework or painting fences. Now the entire neighborhood knew that they could ask him to do almost anything.
He remembered how a 15 year old boy had paid him 20 pounds to help him with his chemistry homework as a joke, and then he actually did it. The boy ending up getting an A and Severus ended up getting a loyal customer.
He had also avoided the park as much as possible, he knew that Lily spends most of her time there and he is not risking it. He also went to town a lot so he isn't home much either. The women in Spinner's End had started inviting him over to dinner and another lady begged him to be her daughter's child clothing model. She claimed that he had 'Just the right, cute look for it!" and he only had to walk around the neighborhood wearing the clothes she had given him to advertise to the people. Then she just gave him the clothes as a reward.
Which is how he ended up having dinner at other people's houses and getting some new clothes.
Suprising how much they are willing to pay you to help with such trivial things.
He hasn't had any meals at home for months now, and he doubts that his mother or Tobias had noticed. With his absence, Tobias seemed much calmer with just the company of his obedient wife, so angry outbursts were limited. It's a win/win situation for Severus and he didn't see the reason why he couldn't continue doing so.
As he wondered how he could expand his business to the school, he overheard a couple of his classmates talking "I think there's a test soon, I didn't study at all.."
A figurative light bulb went off in his head. He turned to them and smiled "I can help with that. But you'll pay me!"
A boy stuck up his nose, "How so?" He asked "It's not like you know the test answers beforehand right?"
"Well, not exactly," Severus plastered a diplomatic smile on his face "Let's make a bet, if I help you, you'll get an A and I'll get paid. But if you don't, I'll compensate for your loss. Is that alright for you?"
"Game on!"
In the end, the other boy ended up getting an A, and he ended up being the resident class test answer messiah. With a cheap price, of course.
Severus sat on the swings during recess, counting his money from the last batch of kids who asked for the answers to the previous day's math homework. When suddenly he was approached by a girl. He looked up and felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach. A familiar face, with bright red hair and enchanting green eyes, she sported a mighty frown on her face as she grasped the money clip tightly in her hands.
"You-.. you're Severus Snape right? Old Beth told me." Severus nodded slowly, still wrapping his head around the fact that Lily was the one who approached him first this time "My.. my dog Anthy. He's sick and my mum says he'll pass away soon, and the clinic is really far away and she's busy! So she can't take him to the vet! But he's still a puppy and I just got him and- and...! You have to help me! You'll do it if you get paid right? The ladies said so!"
Severus nodded "I know a bit about animals," He smiled, holding back his urge to wrap his arms around her and cry his eyes out, and apologize "He's just sick right? What are his symptoms."
"Runny eyes, fever, coughing- um... He keeps vomiting. That's all I remember."
"Yeah, I can fix that. when school is over for the day I'll go home and grab some supplies. We'll meet up at the Park, bring your dog. If he still isn't better by tomorrow then there's nothing I can do, though."
Lily nodded her head so quickly he was afraid it would snap off, the bell rung and she reluctantly headed back to class. Severus composed himself, he did not expect this encounter at all.
He frowned when he thought about it, he was hurt by Lily and her ignorace, but he also hurt her, didn't he? It was his mouth that said that horrible slur and she had no reason not to cut ties with him when that happened. Severus had years of his life to atone to his sins, but she was dead. He had avoided her in fear of being hurt again. But he was lonely, the people he helps are friendly, but at the end of the day he'll never be a part of their world. When he reaches 11 years old, he'll be shipped off to Hogwarts- wouldn't it be better to have a companion?
He forced those thoughts to the back of his mind and he sat down at his seat, the boy sitting infront of him smiled at him with a thumbs up, handing him a pound. He smiled back "Pleasure to do business with you."
That day, when class ended, he went back home and grabbed a potion. After he gave a pet-safe potion to Mrs-Smith's daughter's pet cat, demands for such came high as all the kids in the neighborhood brought their sick pets to him. So he always has several bottles in the secret compartment he made for himself in his bedroom. He met up with Lily at the Park, and just like he asked for, she brought the dog.
He coaxed it into drinking the potion and pat it's head. "That should do the trick," He said "He should be fine by tomorrow morning, if he isn't then bring him to the vet."
Lily nodded, and handed him the clip containing 10 pounds, she tearily whispered 'Thank you.." and walked away.
He sighed, looking at the sunset, before taking the 10 minute walk back home.
The next day, a red haired girl ran up to him and almost tackled him with a hug.
"Thank you!!!" Lily screamed into his ear "He's completely healed! He stopped getting sick and he's running around again! Thank you! Thank you!"
It took him 5 minutes to pry the girl off him. Severus smiled, and he made his first friend- again.