Severus Snape is a halfblood who was born into a very poor family, in a decrepit house on Spinner's End. Spinner's End was an unhappy little place, so dreary and unwelcoming, unlike the neighboring streets. Young Severus stuck to his mother, Eileen Prince, like glue. She was a pretty witch and a kind mother. At least, that was how she was before her mind began to wander astray due to an untreated head injury.Most of Severus' early life was spent stuck inside his house to take care of his mother. Eileen barely even remembered who Severus was - if she even adressed him at all. It was a depressing sight. But what was more depressing, was the fact that his mother's condition was due to the abuse of his father, Tobias, and that she still loved him like she did when she was younger.From her bed, Severus' mother was often muttering things to him. Most of it, if not all, was about magic and Hogwarts, a school for magical children. She would tell him of her past, her strict family, her successfulenss in the cunning Slytherin house. Those stories seemed like fairytales, and they drew the young boy in. Even though his mother was convinced that such a place existed, he had doubts. Did such a place even exist? It sounded far too good to be true, after all.Magic was something that was banned in the Snape household, but whenever Tobias wasn't home, the young boy was eagerly reading his mother's old Hogwarts schoolbooks to her, while she rested in their shared room. It was a small distraction from the situation they were in, and his mother seemed pleased upon listening to the old topics she was taught when she was in school.Tobias Snape was another hell in itself, if the broken house wasn't enough. The man was terrible. Abusive to both his mother and himself, often spending money on beer rather than food or the bills. It was because of Tobias that Severus and his mother were terribly neglected and uncared for. Basic necessities were hard to come by.His father was constantly drunk. Whenever he wasn't drunk, he was at work. He was an angry drunk, too, and whenever he was angry, he got loud and violent. His father would often beat Severus and his mother over the littlest things, and becuase of that, it made his mother's condition even worse. Severus was used to the bruises and to the pain, but he knew his mother wouldn't last long if she was constantly being beaten. He would do his best to protect her, even if she barely recognized who he was.He coped with the pain and the abuse by spending countless nights dreaming of Hogwarts. A magical school where he could be safe from the horrors inside his home. The only good thing in his life was that his mother was still miraculously still alive.Until she wasn't.Severus was nine when he saw his father throw Eileen down the stairs, the impact killing her instantly." Get to those dishes, " was all his father told him, upon seeing such a stricken expresson on his face. Severus was too scared to disobey. He didn't even know how to react, since he was so young. All he knew, was that he needed to whatever he could in order to survive his household.Without having to take care of his mother all of the time, Severus had free time. Almost too much. He would spend that free time reading outside, especially his mother's old schoolbooks, or practicing the little bit of magic he had. Whether it was hot or cold, Severus did not want to be in his own home to face his father. He wasn't strong enough to face the wrath of his father, he wasn't strong at all. He felt the safest when he wasn't in such a dreadful place.He ended up meeting Lily Evans a few months after the death of his mother. The first thing he saw in his peripherals, was a head of blazing red hair and her... Strange ability. He didn't seem to fear it, though. In fact, he was excited to know that there was someone like himself. The two were quick to become friends. They were both so different, yet they were so close, because they understood each other. He would tell her the stories his mother told him, about Hogwarts, while she would eagerly listen. The two would dream together, play together, she would even bring the boy to her home during the nights he was kicked out of his house. Even though other kids in the neighborhood looked down on the boy, Lily Evans was always there for him. She was the light of his life.Both got their letters to Hogwarts when they reached eleven years old.Because Severus had no money, he used his mother's things for his school supplies. But he still eagerly went with Lily to Diagon Alley, out of mere curiosity - and from the fact that there weren't many things his mother still had, other than schoolbooks and an old school uniform (that was far too feminine for his liking, for some reason).First year of Hogwarts was... Nothing, that Severus expected. Not only were he and Lily separated, but he was already being bullied by a small group of Gryffindors.At least the beds were warm...Severus did not know the difference between 'he' and 'she' until his second year of Hogwarts, during summer. It was then where he started to feel uncomfortable being referred to by his deadname, or by people using 'she/her' pronouns for him. He was at the age where he started to become hyperaware of the differences between girls and boys, and the fact that he hated the body that he was assigned.Lily helped him through every step of the way. Even though they were separated at Hogwarts, she was still his biggest supporter. She was the most understanding person he ever met, she was the first person to ever accept him. And even though his life at school and at home wasn't healthy, he was happy for the support he had while it lasted.

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