Look Closer

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:
Severus Snape.

4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. That was the address of Lilian Harriet Potter, and her only living relatives.

The Dursley's were a practical lot, who believed that anything strange, or unnatural should be locked away and, or completely wiped out, if it didn't fit their vision of normal or perfect it was out of place and there for unnecessary.

Lilian Harriet Potter seemed to be the definition of what they hated.

"Get up you wretched girl." Came the quiet, yet sharp, voice, Lilian heard every morning, belonging to her aunt, Petunia Dursley. She heard the distinct clatter of the key to her cupboard hitting it's lock, before the door swung open. Aunt Petunia spared Lilian no notice as she crawled out from under the stairs. She didn't know exactly how many times she'd done this however it was like a continuous nightmare she'd never wake up from.

The sun seemed to have just risen, and Lilian knew her Uncle Vernon Dursley would be awake any moment to prepare for work. She hurried up the stairs to the guest rooms bath.

Lilian's Aunt Petunia was a thin woman who's neck seemed to be twice the size necessary for anyone's height, and seemed to be the only member in the Dursley's house hold who tried to give her the known necessities of a child and young woman. Lilian has never asked why she does it, risking the wrath of Uncle Vernon, though she suspected it had to do with her parents.

Lilian quietly opened the door, looked for a moment in the mirror and sigh. She didn't look like normal girls, most would even mistake her for a boy. She doesn't blame them, Aunt Petunia started chopping her hair off when she was eight, it looks like any boys unruly hair now. The only noticeably feminine features Lilian had was her eyes, though she's tried her Aunt Petunia's reading glasses on and with those she looked like an extremely skinny nine year old boy. Except that she was eleven.

She hurried and washed her face, not bothering to try the same with her hair used the loo and quietly walked down to the kitchen.

Her Aunt Petunia was sitting on the sofa with tea and a book. She walked to the stove and lit it before starting the coffee and getting the eggs out. Lilian frowned at the smell of the eggs on the pan. Aunt Petunia would give her an apple or banana every day or so, but making their food, she thought that was a worse punishment than Uncle Vernon's drunk 'Lessons'.

Sunlight started to fill the Dursleys house on Private Drive and Lilian heard the usual loud thumping and banging when Uncle Vernon and her strange cousin Dudley were just waking. She quickly debated the risk of eating some of the eggs that I hadn't yet been dished onto the plates, even a bite would satisfy her till next week. Aunt Petunia wouldn't bother to do anything about it if she saw, Lilian thought... Her stomach grumbled just thinking of the food and the debate ended with the egg's leftovers in her mouth.

"FATHER!" Her eyes widened in terror, no, no no please no. Dudley, who normally stomped down the stairs in an attempt to wake Lilian up, had gotten into the kitchen without her notice. Her Uncle Vernon appeared not long after Dudley's call.

"The freak ate my food." Dudley said.

There's not many things that could anger Lilian's Uncle more than Dudley's unhappiness. He grabbed Lilian by her hair and practically threw her into the living room. Aunt Petunia screeched, before leaving the room quickly. She never watched Uncle Vernon's 'Lessons'.
Lilian's Uncle Vernon picked her up by her hair and punched her in her stomach, she wanted to scream, he had just broke her rib last week, instead, she simply glared at him in defiance, trying to stop her shaking hands. Lilian knew all too well that he'd beat the glare off her face by the end of this. He wouldn't stop till she screamed and often she wanted nothing more then too. But, Lilian never let him get an easy win. And, she enjoyed watching him inflate with anger at her defiance.

Uncle Vernon went to say something, a knock at the door interrupted him though and he dropped Lilian, letting her fall to the ground, like dead weight.

"One peep and I'll kill ya." He whispered before turning to the door Aunt Petunia was already opening.

"SEVERUS!" She screeched so loud Lilian winced.

"Petunia." A smooth, silky voice responded. Uncle Vernon stood there frozen as a man slid past them both into the living room. He was wearing strange black clothes that fell around him like a robe, his hair slicked black looking almost leathery, and he had a strange stick in his hand that was glowing.

When his dark eyes landed on Lilian they went rather wide, considering he didn't seem like someone to show many emotions. Lilian tilted her head in confusion till she realized, I'm on the floor. Next thing she knew the man was at her side helping her up.

The man growled slowly when she whimpered in pain, and for a second Lilian tried to push away from him, until she processed that it was directed at her Aunt Petunia.

"Come on Lilian, let's go." He spoke softly, before leading her towards the front door.

"Hogwarts?" Her Aunt Petunia asked the man as he carried Lilian past her. He didn't answer her. "Don't bring her back Severus." Petunia said.

Lilian had a strange ability, stranger then the situation she seemed to be in now, she had always known, sense she was very young, when to put in trust someone and when it was not wise. This man, Severus, he seemed to have an idea of what had been happening, but Lilian still did not know him, nor did she know his reasons for the current intrusion on the Dursley's house, or why Uncle Vernon seemed to be refusing to move from his current position out of sheer terror. It seemed he knew Aunt Petunia, though Lilian knew not his relation to her.
They walked out the door and the next thing Lilian knew she was on a couch leaning over a bucket vomiting whatever she had in her stomach.

"Who, are you?" She breathed out putting the bucket down and placing her head in between her knees to relieve her nausea.

"Severus Snape, your Godfather." The man stated.

Lilian nodded slowly. "So, my parents finally die? They made you come get me? You felt guilty?" Lilian asked starting to feel rather annoyed with the ideas.

"What?" He asked.

"Did my parents send you to get me or did they die?" Lilian repeated.

"Lilian, your parents died ten years ago." Severus stated.

"Karma finally do something in my favor? They die well traveling the world or right after dropping, their freak for a daughter off at their sisters door?" Lilian asked, using humor to cover up the sound of bells ringing in her ears.

"Lilian your parents were killed when you were a baby, by a dark wizard named Voldemort." Severus stated.

"Sorry, a what?" She asked, looking up.

"A wizard, Ms. Potter." Severus
repeated as if it helped. Lilian's confusion must have still shown, because he continued. "Wizard's and/or Witch's, are Magicians or Sorcerers, who practice the art of potions, conjuring, charms, transfiguration, and etc... They are a society hidden from the muggle world, who deals with the magical imbalances that continue to threaten the revealing of our world."

Lilian nodded her head in fake understanding.

"So my parent's..."

"Died, defending you. You, Ms. Potter are The-Boy-Who-Lived because you survived a killing curse directed at you by the man who killed your parents. It is also believed that you vanquished Voldemort the night of your parents' deaths." Severus explained. "Your mother, discovered bits of information before you were born and had everything arranged for people to believe you, a boy. I'll explain it fully during your fourth year attending Hogwarts. For know, lets keep them thinking your a boy." Severus stated.

Lilian said nothing, only nodded.