Waste and Want

Chapter 1

Severus adored his mother as a child. She had been his sole source of comfort, the one who fed him, who whispered stories into his hair as she tucked him in, who praised him when he got good grades. But as he grew older, her failings began to outweigh the small mercies she had done for him. Eileen Snape was spineless, wilfully blind, lacking in common sense, and her steadfast refusal to help either herself or her son, to use her God-given abilities to defend them against Tobias's tyranny, hardened Severus against her. For a witch so determined to live her life free of magic, she had taken no particular pains to learn how to manage even the simplest of Muggle tasks. She couldn't cook, clean, or sew without the aid of charms, and Tobias hadn't done anything to teach her except beat her like she was a particularly stupid dog. Tobias himself refused to sully his hands with "women's work" (not that he bothered much with men's work either), leaving the bulk of the household chores to land on Severus's shoulders. As a result, the house was continually filthy, and clothing sloppily scrubbed in an old washtub and left spotty. He was better at sewing; Severus had always enjoyed fine, detailed work. He was best at cooking, finding it close enough to potions that he minded it less, and he at least got to experiment with it a little.

Severus was determined to be nothing like his parents. He had brains, talent, and ambition. He wasn't going to turn into a lazy drunkard like his father, or a meek, cowardly mouse like his mother. So, it rather galled him to realize that he had made the same stupid mistake Eileen had in her youth by spreading his legs for the first boy who had come along and whispered sweet words to him.

David was in Ravenclaw and had been his partner in their N.E.W.T.-level potions class. The class hadn't been very large, and had a good mixture of students from all houses. Lily was there, of course, and so was (ugh) Potter. They had become inseparable this past year, so of course she partnered with him. Not that she would ever lower herself to partnering with Severus ever again, not since fifth year. "Her loss is my gain," David said with a charming smile.

There was the unpleasant fact that David was Muggleborn, but he was the only Slytherin taking the class, and what his housemates didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Besides, he liked David, despite himself, and Severus tried very hard to hate him. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to hate him, though that wouldn't stop Severus from cursing him given half the chance. David was intelligent, and funny, and more importantly he laughed at Severus's jokes which, in Severus's humble opinion, just proved how intelligent and funny David was. He had let David trap him against the shelves in the Restricted Section, kissed him, let his hands roam wherever he wanted, and when David suggested meeting at the Astronomy Tower, Severus agreed. Everyone knew what the Astronomy Tower was used for, and it wasn't stargazing. David had already laid out a blanket for him when he arrived, and there was a bottle of firewhiskey. Severus drank more than he should have, his nerves getting the better of him, which made his stomach twist when David pressed him against the floor.

So, one could imagine how he felt when, at graduation, David had waved awkwardly to him and said, "I'll see you around sometime, Snape," before turning back to his friends.

Tobias didn't think much of his son. He was at best a sissy, and a freak at worst. He had been looking forward to the day that good-for-nothing brat would finally graduate from that school of his and move out like Severus had always threatened he would ("Promise?" Tobias used to say, with a sneer). But here he was, sitting at his table and never again to return to Hogwarts, glaring sullenly at his plate. "Don't you have a job yet?" Tobias demanded. Severus lifted his gaze upward and, somehow or another, managed to glare even harder.

"Tobias-" Eileen spoke up, but one waving hand silenced her.

"I bust my ass putting food on this table, and all he does is sit there-"