FIC: His Own Devices (G)

[iulia_linnea]

Title: His Own Devices
Type: FIC
Age-Range Category: One
Character: Severus Snape
Author: phoenix_fancies
Beta(s): auntlynnie
Rating: G
Summary: What can Severus do on a cold January day?



Severus Snape woke up early on the Saturday after his eighth birthday and listened to his mother getting ready for work. She works as a maid in a hotel in the nice part of town on the weekends, but she has to be there by seven o'clock. If she misses the bus, she has to give herself plenty of time to walk, even in January.

Mother makes sure to be home for him before and after school, and she was able to get him a cake for his birthday this year. Father was away with work, so it was just Severus and Mother this year. That was fine for Severus, since Father always seemed to be angry, even if he wasn't shouting.

The walls at home were thin, and Severus could hear his mother approach. He quickly pretended to be asleep, closing his eyes softly, and turning his head so his mother could kiss his cheek.

"I'm off, Sweetie. Be good and stay inside. It's very cold today." She kissed his cheek and tucked the blanket around him.

"Love you," Severus said. He had practiced the right amount of volume so she wouldn't suspect him to be truly awake.

"I love you, Severus."

He listened to her turn and go. Then she gathered her coat and bag. Then she opened the door and closed the door. Then, her keys turned in the lock. After that, he couldn't hear her steps anymore.

Severus opened his eyes and waited. He wanted to jump up and go, but if he was caught sneaking out the back window, his mother would tan his hide.

Once he was sure she was gone and not coming back, he jumped out of bed. He pulled denims on over his sleep trousers, wrestling the legs so they were all straight. Then he put on the two sweat shirts he had, one was getting too small, but the other one was too large.

Then socks, which he had to adjust because one of his toes would poke through. Then, the only new thing he owned his boots.

Last weekend, the librarian who let him read the books for older children said that her nephew had grown out of them. He could have them if they fit.

They were a bit big, but he wouldn't grow out of them any time soon.

He went back to his bed and flipped the pillow over to reveal a piece of a deer antler. He had found it in the wood behind the school this summer. When he got it, it was about the length of his forearm. He had grown a lot, though, which Mother worried about, so the antler was easier to hold. He grabbed the thickest part at the bottom, turning it in a figure eight with his wrist.

Finally, Severus went to the front door where his coat was hanging on a hook. He put the coat on, tucking the antler between his the sleeves of his sweatshirts. Under his coat was a key on a string. He wasn't going to go out through the door this morning, but he put it on over his head anyway. If something happened and he had to come in through the door on his way home, he'd need the key.

Severus walked into the small kitchen. He stepped up on the stool on the far side of the room and opened the window and climbed out. His heart always pounded when he did this. If someone was on the street, he might be seen. Also, there was a bit of a drop.

Grunting, he dropped to the pavement below. He moved a milk crate over and got up to close the window. Before it was completely closed, he slid a thin piece of bark under it. He couldn't open the window from the outside without breaking it when it was completely closed. Severus knew a little something to hold it just barely open would do the trick.

Jumping down and putting the crate back, Severus brushed his hands on his coat. He jiggled his arm to make sure the antler was as it should be. He looked at the horizon. The sun was coming up. He slipped through a loose board in the fence behind the house.

Severus hurried to Muns's Buns. Missus Munser would give him a meat pie if he pulled the bag of rubbish to the curb for her. Last week, she had had two bags, so he had gotten two buns. They had been warm and delicious.

Severus whizzed past the old man who ran the newsstand on the way.

"Good morning, Mr. Snape," the old man called after him.

Severus turned to wave, but didn't slow his pace. Thinking of buns fresh from the oven was more of a priority than talking with the shopkeeper.

Just as the sun peeked over the horizon, Severus made it to the back door of Muns's Buns. It swung out towards, but he caught the door handle.

"Did I miss the rubbish?" Severus asked as he turned toward the doorway.

The heat of the bakery pushed past him, and he felt his cheeks get warm.

"No, sir, and it's two again, if you're up for it," Missus Munser said as she wiped her hands on her apron. "They're heavier today. I know you're eight now, but-"

"I can do it!" Severus insisted. After a moment, he remembered to smile.

Missus Munser smiled back. "I'll see what's coming out of the oven for you, then."

Severus watched her go back into the kitchen. Once she was surely gone, he loosed the antler from his sleeve. He reached for the first sack, carefully wrapping the antler so neither it nor the sack broke.

It was heavy. Severus gave it a tug, and thought about how much he wished it would be lighter. Almost as if he were magic, the sack did seem lighter. He pulled it down the alley to the curb to be picked up. He dashed back and did the same with the other.

He hid the antler away in his sleeve again. He rapped on the door as Missus Munser had told him to do.
Then, the door opened, and Severus stepped just inside. He wasn't allowed in the bakery, technically. However, he was treated to two fresh hot meat pies.

"It looks like you're out for an adventure today. That should stick with you." Missus Munser smiled as Severus pulled the first one from the bag.

"Thank you, Missus Munser. You make the best pies in town."

"Flattery will get you the world, Mr. Snape, don't you forget. Would you like some tea to wash it down?"

Severus nodded and took another bite.

Missus Munser made her tea very weak with a lot of honey in it. Severus thought it was very delicious.

Severus ate his pies and drank his tea while Missus Munser bustled around the kitchen. The shop opened at eight o'clock on Saturdays. As long as he got here before then, Missus Munser had said he could help if there was something to do.

It was just between them.

As he got about halfway through the second bun, his belly was very full. However, Severus didn't think he'd have much of a lunch today, so he made sure to get it all down. He needed all the tea to get there, but he managed to finish everything.

"All done?" Missus Munser asked without looking at him.

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

"Off with you then. Don't get in trouble. Mr. Munser hates taking the rubbish to the curb on Saturday mornings."

Severus slipped out the back door and turned to walk to the school. He liked the wood behind it, and he felt ready to see what else he could find there.

Sometimes the groundskeeper would be working first thing on Saturdays, but Severus thought it was too cold to start this early, even for a big man like the groundskeeper.

Severus rubbed his hands together. He wouldn't get the antler back out until he was in the wood. Once he did though, even just holding it and thinking about being warm seemed to work a treat.

It was peaceful this morning. Everyone else still seemed to be cosy in their bed, and Severus felt like he could do as he wished without anyone around to shout at him.

Finally getting to the entrance of the wood, Severus sprinted toward a big fallen tree and then jumped over it.

"Yes!" he shouted once he had cleared it. Now that his legs were getting longer, jumping the old tree was easy. He turned back and thought about doing it again, but decided against it. The day was short, and he had better things to do.

Pulling the antler out again, he rolled it between his hands back and forth. "Warm me up." Severus closed his eyes and thought about how it felt when this worked.

It felt like that gust of heat that came from the bakery door when it opened.

He took a deep breath and felt his cheeks and fingertips get warm again. Then, he held it in his right hand and looked around the wood.

Severus knew it pretty well. All of the different seasons made it feel different. At the very far end of wood there was a pond, and the children could swim there when it was very hot in the summer.

Thinking of the water in the pond rippling away from him, he imagined all of the branches and boughs fanning out. Looking up, Severus saw that it was working. He ran through the wood, watching as the trees seemed to let him pass as he wanted.

When he was out of breath, he realised his hands had grown cold. He couldn't do the wind and be warm at the same time. He was sweating under his coat.

As he caught his breath, Severus felt like he maybe shouldn't have had so much tea. Severus looked around, moving toward a big tree with a lot of low branches around it. He relieved himself, holding the antler in his left hand to try to keep warm.

When he was done and ready, he walked away and looked around. Turning his gaze up, Severus judged where he thought he would be, thinking now of going to the library. Even though the sun was low over the tops of the trees, morning was getting late.

The library was near the school but a bit of a walk from the wood. He could hold the antler out for as long as he was hidden in the trees without drawing attention, but then he would have to put it away.

Severus found the edge of the wood that was nearest the library, and walked along the edge until he found the right street. This intersection had gotten really busy over the years. Now there was a stoplight there.

It certainly made it easier to cross, but it also made him more conspicuous. He did not want some adult to come along and tell Mother where he was and ruin everything.

There were a few cars on the road, but the drivers didn't seem to be noticing anything but the road in front of them at all this morning. Severus waited for the traffic lights to turn, and he walked across the street.

A few blocks later, and up the library steps, Severus found himself inside a warm, quiet place.

"Good morning, Severus," the head librarian whispered.

He gave her his usual wave, wordlessly moving to where he liked to sit. There was a big window that he could look out from without anyone seeing him if he didn't want them to. First, he had to go to the bathroom and wash his hands. He didn't want anything to ruin any books because his fingers were dirty.

Severus liked the children's books, but sometimes, he also liked reading the books about radios and televisions. He also liked the books about moving things with your mind, although they seemed less reliable than the books about radios and things were.

He could move things with his mind, as long as he was tucked away where no one would see him. He knew he wasn't the only one in the world, but he was the only one besides Mother that he knew. It's what made Father so angry all the time. Father couldn't do it.

Severus shook his head. Father liked the library, and he liked the books about radios and things, and his job working on radio wires and all that took him away a lot. Father had apologised for having to miss his birthday this year, but he had given Severus a proper hug before he'd left, which felt nice.

Sitting down near the window, tucked back so he could hardly be seen, Severus opened up a big book about "telekinesis." When he had first found it, he had figured it would be too advanced for him, but it turned out to be very simple to read, even if it was a lot.

Severus put the book on his lap and tucked his hand up his sleeve so he could hold the antler. He took a deep breath and started reading.

He read page after page, turning each one with his mind. It only worked when he was holding the antler, but the book never mentioned anything about needing to hold something. He was nearly done reading the whole thing when he heard the church bells ringing.

It was three o'clock. It would be dark soon. Severus almost panicked. He had to get home before Mother.

He took a deep breath. The librarians would certainly notice if he ran out of the library. Making sure his antler was tucked away safely, he closed his book. He put it on the cart for book returns and then he went back to get his coat and get bundled up.

The librarians would also notice if his coat wasn't buttoned. He didn't have time to be told about that.

Making sure he was all together and everything was right, Severus moved toward the door. In the afternoons there was a bowl of apples by the door. Severus wished the librarian goodnight and took an apple. That always made them smile.

Once he was down the stairs to the sidewalk, Severus bolted for home. He would have a miserable time sneaking back into the house after dark, and he had to get home before Mother. He had to.

He took every shortcut he knew, including an alley that went past the bus stop where Mother would get off the bus.

The bus was coming up the road!

Severus ran as fast as he could, slipping through the loose fence board carelessly. It made a loud bang because he wasn't careful.

It didn't matter.

Severus had to be inside the flat. He moved the crate back under the kitchen window, shimmied the piece of bark to get it open, and climbed through. Pulling his antler out, he pointed it straight at the crate and wished only for it to go back to where it belonged.

He closed the window carefully so it wouldn't break. He hastily tore off his coat and the key on the string around his neck, hanging them up on the hook. He took off all of his layers down to his pyjamas. He hid the antler under his pillow. Then he pulled the blanket from his bed to go into the chair in the sitting room.

He was just opening his book when he heard Mother's key at the door. Severus took a deep breath.

His mother came in not a minute later.

"Severus?"

"In here," he said, hoping he didn't sound out of breath.

"Did you have a nice day? What did you eat?"

Severus's heart skipped. He'd left the apple in the kitchen by the window.

She wasn't really listening to him, though, and immediately ducked into the bathroom after her coat was hung up.

Severus ran to the kitchen, grabbed his apple, and shoved it into his coat pocket.

"Oh, you're up." Mother said. "Did you have a nice day?"

He moved to wrap his arms around her middle. "Yes. Did you?"

"Well, the best part was coming home to you. My favourite part, actually." She pushed her fingers through his hair. "You're clammy. Are you sure you're feeling well?"

"I wouldn't mind having you read me a story in bed, if you're not too tired."

"I can manage that. I'll open a can of soup."