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Chapter Text

He was out. He was finally out of there. Severus made sure to hold his breath on the train back home, in case anything happened there. Thankfully nothing happened. As Severus walked past the Evans family he felt a shiver and a pang of sadness as Lily refused to pay him any mind.

No one was present to pick him up from the station, which meant his travel would be a long one alone. Severus' body felt oblivious to the time, and he was at Spinner's End before he knew it. He opened the front door and stepped right into his house. His father wasn't home, but he could hear the distracting sounds of his mother knitting in a room close by.

Severus went straight to his bedroom. He dropped all his things, took off his robe and jumped onto the bed. He lay there, not sleeping but not moving. He was in a place he arguably wouldn't get hurt, unless his father had it in him to raise his hand like he did all those years ago. Tobias meant well, at least that was the excuse Eileen would have for him.

Time passed, and he was still in his uniform, but Severus didn't want to move. He kept his eyes closed as he heard movement around the house, and his bedroom door opened. Severus stayed still in the bed, judging from the soft footsteps he could tell it was his mother. He heard the doorknob click in thought as she stood there, but Severus wasn't in the mood to pay anyone any mind.

Eileen's voice was soft and weak. "I heard about what happened." 

"Really? What happened that you heard?" he said with sarcasm, but it came out sounding literal.

She was silent. So she didn't know what happened then.

"I-" she tried, "I know that something happened. You usually go off to spend time with that Evans girl, and I saw her send our house a nasty look through the window."

"It's none of your business." he grumbled into his pillow.

"Perhaps not, but I have every right to be concerned about it," he heard the door open wider, and the knob clicked. "And you haven't corrected me on her name," Severus didn't say anything, and he didn't want to. It was silent before she said "Your blinds are still closed."

It was getting late. Ever since that night happened he's hated the moon. He didn't want to look at it, nor did he want even a bit of light coming through the windows. His back was turned to it, so he didn't want to see it at all.

"Your father is probably going to spend the night at the bar again. I didn't make much, but I'm sure you're hungry." 

Severus heard her close the door, which meant she gave up. It was only then he realised how much pain he was in from staying still for too long. He got up from the bed and cracked his fingers, and proceeded to change into his nightwear. He went downstairs to see what she made.

It was mushroom soup with bread, and although it was getting cold he gulped it down without issue. He was used to eating canned food whenever he was at home, so he couldn't waste time savouring something fresh. Eileen always bought canned food when Tobias didn't waste all the money on beer. Whatever money was left, anyways. Canned food lasted longer and was very cheap.

Severus wasted no time to get back to his room and sulk there. Potions, that's all he wanted to do, but he couldn't do that in peace. Day by day the Marauders managed to strip whatever happiness he had with him, and by some miracle would Severus survive it.

Claudia Black as Eileen Snape

Finn Wolfhard as Young Severus Snape

Chapter Text

Eileen wasn't the best mother, even she could admit that. She wasn't really there for Severus, too busy arguing with Tobias or pretending she was a helpless muggle woman, whose wand was no longer around. But even she knew many things about her son. For one, Severus was forgiving and he wouldn't harm a fly. He wouldn't go out of his way to harm anyone, so whatever was going on between him and the Evans girl sparked her interest.

He didn't always smile, only when his dear Lily was around did he smile. He enjoyed being outdoors, where the trees were, but he had been hanging in his room for most of the days since his return. She had no clue what he had been doing in his bedroom, but Tobias didn't notice a thing, keeping up with his usual routine.

Severus was alone, a fact Eileen wasn't sure she should be fine with.

With determination she went up to his bedroom and opened the door without knocking.

"Why don't you go outside?"

He sat in the middle of his bed, reading a book he must've stolen from Hogwarts. His hair was shielding his face making it uncertain whether he was listening or not. "Want to get rid of me already?" he murmured.

"No, it's not that," she still adamantly shook her head even though he couldn't see her do it. "I just think you would benefit from the sun, you know how rainy it gets. You've been getting pale, which is saying something."

"I hope that's not a xenophobic comment about me and father," He gripped the book tighter. "I want to stay in the shade."

"But you could use some fresh air," she insisted. "Please, Severus. Try five minutes."

His fingers started tapping the book. He was distracted.

"Think about it, yeah?" she closed the door.

Severus stopped tapping his book as soon as the door shut and got up from his bed. He fixed himself up as best as he could, which wasn't much with greasy hair and uneven teeth. He wore all black, short sleeved top and trousers with laced shoes.

He left the house, Eileen's knitting be damned. With his face hidden behind his hair he walked through the streets of Cokeworth, passing nice looking and terrible houses alike. He decided he had enough sun, and quickly went to a nearby tree so he could be in its shade. He spotted a group of 3 a few metres away from him, kids around his age. They sort of looked as dishevelled as he did. One was a girl with messily cut hair, the other two being boys. One of the boys had long hair and was meatier than the other, who had short and lighter hair.

He watched them hesitantly, one wrong move could earn him the wrong kind of attention, and Severus suffered enough of that for one year. He pretended not to notice them, but ended up cursing his luck when one of the boys came up to get a view of Severus. The one with short hair, he was holding a weird object with a strong grip.

"I know you. I recognise you. You're that weird creepy boy that lives around that other area, Spin- something." he clicked his fingers.

"Spinner's End." Severus corrected.

"Right," he shot his friends a glance, "We're making a film, just us. It's a horror film about supernatural stuff. D'you wanna join?"

"Film?" Severus squinted his eyes, he knew what a film was but he hadn't watched any in a long time.

"We need someone to play a ghost or something."

"No," the friend of the boy shook her head, "He's more of a vampire, just look at him."

The blonde boy shrugged, "We didn't write a script, most of this is us making stuff up. We haven't filmed the scary stuff yet," he raised his brows at Severus. "Hey, can you play a vampire?"

"You do look like an overgrown bat," said the girl, "No offence."

"I don't know," Severus grew nervous, "I haven't played anything before."

The long haired boy grinned, "It's easy. You don't have to take it too seriously, you just have to play the part," he outstretched his hand. "I'm Hopkins."

"Garrett." said the short haired one.

"Ruby." said the girl, trying her best smile.

"I'm Severus." he took the outstretched hand.

"So we've already covered the first few parts, should we give a rundown on what we've been doing so far?" Garrett said quickly.

Severus eyed each of them, "That would be appreciated."

"The film is about a couple that is being hunted. Ruby plays the main character, Hopkins plays her boyfriend, I'm the director and I do the filming. You are gonna be the bad guy, we just need to figure out what." Garrett started contemplating.

"I have an axe," Hopkins realised, "You can play an axe wielding murderer."

Ruby looked between them, "You look like you could crush him with your arms." she said, pointing to Hopkins' arms. 

Hopkins kept up his good spirits, "An axe wielding vampire."

They all inspected Severus. Garrett nodded to himself, "Axe wielding vampire it is."

They proceeded with the film making, Garrett did the directing and Severus supplied them with baked beans to use as fake blood, which went as well as a person would expect it to. Severus surprisingly had fun, every single thing he did was met with encouragement and careful guiding.

In the end they all sat on some grass to celebrate their hard work. Ruby and Hopkins sat together, while Garrett went through the footage.

"So Severus, are you going to any colleges nearby or is it straight into working for you?" Ruby asked.

"What?" he said to her, "I have school starting in September."

"Oh," she and Hopkins shared a confusion. "I assumed you were at least sixteen."

"I am sixteen." he confirmed, his hair falling over his face. "I'm going towards sixth year."

"Sixth form?" guessed Hopkins.

"No, sixth year."

"Severus goes to a weird school with this other girl that lives near his neighbourhood," Garret said without looking away from his camera. "I think it's a boarding school."

Severus was offended, "It's not a weird school we just have different customs."

"It is pretty weird if you have to study there for more than five years. I haven't heard of any boarding school that does that," he finally looked away from his camera. "Have you thought of doing anything else? I'm hoping to do photography."

"I..." he tried to think of anything but potions, "Knitting. My mum sells clothes as a side thing, I've been thinking of helping her out."

"I suck at knitting," moaned Ruby, "My mum tried to teach me and I ended up bending the metal things."

"I'm going straight into working," Hopkins laid back on the grass, "I'm so done with school and dealing with people i don't want to deal with. Thinking about it makes my head hurt."

"And to think you're stuck with them day and night," mused Ruby, "If Garrett is right about you going to boarding school you need to take advantage of the freedom you have now. Or make a really important decision."

Severus let a smile grow on his face, "I guess I should be glad my parents don't want me to become a doctor or anything."

She pointed at him, "That doesn't mean you shouldn't be successful. And if you can't be successful, you must be happy."

McCabe Slye as Garrett

Sam Brooks as Hopkins

Ryan Simpkins as Ruby

Chapter Text

Tobias was a special case. He came all the way from China after the war ended, hoping that the different environment would be beneficial to his mind. Tobias hated being easily triggered as the things at home were too close to terrible memories. He came to England, changed his name, and settled down hoping to have a simple life.

And then Eileen and Severus just had to be magic. Severus had bursts of magic often, sometimes breaking something in the house which was much too reminiscent of the gunshots he actively tried to forget about in the back of his mind. Every time Severus did something startling Tobias would belt him in an effort to get him to stop, but the magic wouldn't go away.

Tobias had learned it was useless to do so. When he and Eileen were in the same room they would argue, screaming at each other and they would both forget who started it. The air had become tense and in order to get away from it he would spend extra hours at work or get loose at a nearby bar.

Severus would be gone for months on end, and if it meant he was well fed and didn't break anything in the house Tobias was fine with it. It had been like this for years, so imagine Tobias' surprise when he found his son knitting next to Eileen when he was supposed to be at that school of his. Tobias found himself not caring, since the boy wasn't pointing a stick and making colours and bursts come out of it.

When the boy wasn't helping his mother sell clothes for whatever cold weather was coming their way he was doing who knew what in his bedroom. Tobias decided to do some snooping one day and found a bunch of stolen goods in his bedroom. Nothing important, just some books on potion making and a pot. There was some other stuff but Tobias didn't understand most of them to come to a judgement.

He could only hope that it wouldn't attract anything bad, like bad spirits and the like.

Severus was slowly growing less afraid of the night as weeks had gone by, but this night was one many muggles were beginning to celebrate fear. Severus didn't understand the appeal but if it meant he could carry out his duties in plain sight then he had no problem with it.

There was a knock at the door, and Tobias cursed from where he sat in the sitting room. "Damn kids," he said in Chinese. "Severus, answer the door!" he called upstairs.

Severus halted his brewing and left his room. Tobias wasn't one to disturb after a long day so Severus had to once again answer the trick or treaters 

Severus went over to the stacked pile of canned peas and answered the door. He was greeted with the sight of costumed children, each holding out a bag of goods. Severus looked back at the pile and counted the children.

"Are you dressed as a ghost?" one of them asked, "You're lanky enough to be a skin walker."

"I'm a wizard," he shacked the can of peas, "And this is one of my special potions."

The child studied the can of peas with disgust, "Is this a trick?"

The can of peas levitated into the air and the children watched in awe as the can of peas flew away.

"Catch the trick, the sweets are inside the can." he told them before closing the door. He could hear the rushing footsteps scattering away.

The door slammed with a definite shut, and right as he was about to walk away there came another knock on the door. He opened it expecting a different pair of children, but this time it was Garrett. He was wearing a light pink suit but was covered head to toe in fake blood.

"Severus, hey."

Severus was surprised the other boy even remembered who he was, considering they haven't spoken after that day in the Summer. They had not spoken due to their job searching. Severus had been insistent on not bumping into Lily, or anyone with the surname 'Evans'.

"I'm done with the movie, making copies of it," he held out a videotape, "I thought you would want one," he fiddled with his blazer, "My dad saw it, he thought you were great in it."

Severus was surprised, "I didn't look ridiculous?"

"No," Garrett didn't shake his head, instead staring. "You looked scary," he noticed Severus face go down, "That's a good thing, Severus. It's horror, it's supposed to be scary."

"Why do people watch scary things?"

"Because we're in desperate need for mental help," Garrett waved the video tape, "Give it a watch. You look amazing."

Severus took the videotape as if it was a thing from outer space, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Garrett desperately wanted to say no, but the boy was honest. "Rumour has it that your dad got into an argument with one of the neighbours around here. You okay?"

"Mister Evans," Severus wrinkled his nose, "I decided not to go sixth year, and someone must've told him."

Garrett's face squeezed, "Why's it any of his business? Why'd that make him think he can get into an argument with your dad?"

"I'm... I used to be friends with one of his daughters, she must've told him. He thought my dad convinced me to throw my life away or something. He's never liked my school."

Garrett wiggled his shoulders, "That doesn't mean it's any of their business. So what your dad doesn't like your school, there's probably a good reason," he nodded at the tape, "Anyways, have a watch. If you don't have a tape player you can watch it at my house. See you, Severus." Garrett dismissed himself, and Severus waved at him.

The door shut again, softly this time. Severus made his way to the sitting room where Tobias was reading a book.

"Dad, do we have a film player?" Severus held up the tape he was holding.

Tobias looked up from the book, a bit of annoyance clear on his face. Some of it disappeared for a bit of surprise once he noticed the tape.

"No, we don't have one," he sighed, his eyes going back to the pages. "I hope that isn't what I think that is."

Severus raised a brow at his father, "It's a horror film."

Tobias still wrinkled his nose, "I hope it's not to celebrate whatever's going on outside. This is the celebration of death, I saw how those children were dressed and I don't like it," he decided to look at his son, "Please watch that in your own time. I haven't watched horror films but I have heard and seen some posters. I'm sure it's nothing compared to what that school of yours has made you see but be careful." he went back to reading.

Severus placed the tape on his bedroom shelf.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Tobias Snape

Chapter Text

Garrett was hoping to do photography but ended up studying film making, which he was very fine with. Garrett proudly showed off his home film to his classmates. While it was very clear that it wasn't supposed to be taken seriously, Garrett's film work added with his neighbours' natural improvisations made it a solid enough teen slasher flick.

The true suspense was when Severus appeared on the screen as his usual mysterious self. Severus had this strange allure about him that made him perfect for the role, catching the eye of anyone who saw him.

When Lily returned home for Christmas break she was not expecting to be so lonely, with nothing but letters to keep her company, and her parents and Petunia. Petunia she couldn't hold a civil conversation with, and her parents were far too old to understand her.

She knew the streets of Cokeworth well enough, the people that lived near her area not so much, but she knew gossip when she saw it. Every time she decided to go for a walk she would see kids her age standing in groups exchanging a tape with cursed smiles.

Attending Hogwarts had made her forget how to communicate with unruly teenagers because they all made a gander at her with suspicion when she enquired what it was. Her last inquiry didn't go as well as she'd hoped.

One of the girls answered, "This is Garrett's new film. He thinks everyone should watch it," she smirked, "It's about a couple getting killed."

Lily wrinkled her nose at the thought, "You guys wanna watch that?"

"Yeah, it's not graphic if that's what's bothering you," the girl wrinkled her own nose. "You're that posh girl that lives around here."

Lily grew nervous, "Yes, what about it."

"Why don't you rent a horror film, I heard that rich people don't give things back." the girl reached out the tape to one of her friends to take instead.

Lily looked between them rudely, "That's not true, what's so good about this film that everyone's talking about it?"

"They're neighbourhood memories or something. But they're nice ones," she looked Lily up and down with a lack of trust. "You're probably used to higher quality films, anyway. You wouldn't like it."

Thus, Lily was stuck spying and looking into windows in hopes to see a glimpse of this film. But it was recommended to be watched late at night, and Lily wasn't allowed to be out after dark.

That very same Winter Severus received a letter from a film company looking for extras. The deal was simple, Severus had to play a few dead people. He could use a break from knitting, so he took the chance.

Chapter Text

"Death calls to us all, Evie," spoke Severus, "Us reapers are not the black hole many think us to be, we simply pick up the pieces."

"I know that, but..." the girl playing Evie paused, trying to remember.

"Were you expecting different?" These weren't his lines, he was taking the fall for her. "Hellfire isn't immediate, judgement comes first." he said strongly, hoping she would remember.

Thankfully the actress did, "Were you judging me? When you were watching me? I had only seen glimpses of you and I had never knew what you wanted."

Severus' eyes were hard, but his face remained neutral. "No judging, I was waiting. Ever since you had been born I had waited, but once again someone is in the process of saving you."

"Aaand cut! That was amazing you two," the director gave Severus a pointed look, "That's some nice improv there, Severus. Hellfire isn't immediate, nice touch." he nodded at everyone. "Let's take a break!"

Severus sat down on a nearby seat and the other actress went to sit next to him. She grinned at him, "Nice save, I thought I would die out there."

"You're welcome. You have a lot of lines to memorise so there's no way you could get in trouble, I understand your panic though," Severus adjusted the tie he wore, "I hate messing up."

She tilted her head at him with keen eyes. "You're really good at this whole Grim Reaper thing, you know. Have you ever considered other roles? Like the main character or villain."

"No," Severus shrugged, "This is my second acting role, I only played an extra in my last one."

Her eyes went wide, "That's where I recognise you, that straight to TV film, Stranger's Keep I think it's called."

Severus smiled timidly, "Yeah. I made some quick money in the two weeks that I was involved."

"Should've made lots of money, it was a really good watch," she grinned bigger, "Sometimes I'll never understand television films. What's the weirdest you've ever seen?"

"Hmm," he thought to himself, having not seen a lot to make a great judgement, "I'd say Go Ask Alice, then again I was quite young to really understand most of it."

"Or too innocent minded," she teased, "You're very easy to mortify, Severus."

Eileen studied the building with curious eyes, oblivious to the people walking past them as Severus went over to the counter to buy some tickets. Tobias stood next to her with a stony expression on his face.

"What is this place, again?" she asked him.

"It's the cinema, ma. You pay to watch any newly released movie with a bunch of other people." Severus explained.

Her smile went wider, contrasting the way Tobias looked around suspiciously, "What film are we seeing?" 

"Death locked Away, it's about a girl who's supposed to die but doesn't die for some reason. I don't want to give too many details, it's going to ruin the surprise."

"It's a big surprise, isn't it?" asked Tobias, kind of dreading what was awaiting.

"There's gonna be gore, dad. If you don't want to see it you don't have to."

"No, we came here as a family," the older man said insistently, "We'll see the movie."

Eileen and Severus shared a glance, but proceeded into the theatre.

It's safe to say that it was arguably a bad idea. Eileen was moved by what she saw, impressed with her little boy and glad with the opportunities brought his way. Tobias just didn't say anything except giving Severus the occasional confused stare.

It wasn't until they arrived home did he say something.

"Since when was horror your thing?" Tobias asked in the least confrontational tone Severus has heard.

"Since..." he had just started really. "I don't know. Since Corrie."

Tobias's eyes went pointed, "Corrie?"

"It's a Stephanie Queen book, I..." he thought about it, "I could see myself in him. In the character, and I wondered what else I could resonate with, so I read and watched some more horror things and I loved them," Severus suppressed fiddling with his fingers, "Was the movie too bad?"

Tobias studied the other boy, "It wasn't too bad," it was kind of shy how it came out, as if there was something he didn't want to admit. "Too much blood, but it wasn't bad," he was trying to be careful with his words. "It's just that you always stayed away from dead things, I wondered what changed."

"I stay away from violence, dad. Not death." Severus corrected.

Tobias nodded glumly, "Yes, from death. Just promise me one thing, Severus."

"What's that, dad?"

"If you do go far with this, don't let it go to your head. Before you ask," he interrupted from where Severus was about to speak, "I don't know what that means either. But I thought I should tell you."

"Alright dad, I won't let it go to my head. Not the blood, not the script, and not anything." he sort of promised.

Tobias gave him a pointed look, "Only be happy and careful, I heard that weird things happen to actors." he went over to where he kept his cigarettes.

"Weird things happen to everyone."

"Not a good enough excuse," he lit up the cig, "You be careful now."

Chapter Text

Petunia had been trying to do her work, but her friend Yvonne had other plans. They had met 2 years ago, fresh faced college kids on their first day. Now, they were fresh faced university students.

"Petunia, you have to check out Teens to Fathom with me!" Yvonne enthusiastically insisted.

Petunia grinned at her friend playfully, "Is this another one of your special interests?"

"Yes, but this movie's special."

Petunia narrowed her eyes, still in that playful gesture. "How special?"

"I'm pretty sure your neighbour is in it."

Petunia paused, as Yvonne wouldn't joke about such things. "My neighbour?" she asked.

"Yeah," she clicked her fingers in memory, "That boy with the long black hair, that hangs with your sister."

'Not anymore.' Petunia wanted to say, but she faked a smile as best as she could. "Snape," she said, "What about him?"

"He's in this film."

Petunia's face twisted into disbelief as she stared unblinkingly at Yvonne.

"Petunia?" Yvonne asked, waving her hand up and down Petunia's face.

"No he's not," she suddenly said, "It's not his thing."

Then again, what was his thing? Petunia only knew a few things about Snape, and acting wasn't one of them. Surely Yvonne mistook him somehow. She's only seen him twice in the Summer, and Yvonne didn't visit much.

"His face is on the poster," Yvonne was very sure, "C'mon, you have to see it with me."

"Hmm," Petunia thought to herself, "Alright, I'll see the movie. But I'm paying for a separate popcorn this time, last time you-"
"Ate the whole thing, I know." Yvonne smiled.

And so, Petunia went to the cinema with Yvonne. It was safe to say that Yvonne wasn't mistaken, that it was in fact Severus. To make more facts, he was the star. The final boy. 

Severus quickly found a hiding place in the strange storage room. He breathed in and out, hand on his chest, clenching it in hopes it would stop beating so loudly. He rummaged through his pockets and took out his flashlight. It lit up the dark space, shining on a broom, a mop and some other cleaning supplies. Severus moved his flashlight and quickly covered his mouth where a tiny squeal left him.

Laid on the ground, were piled bodies of all his friends who went missing that day. They were all covered in blood, some of them missing body parts, or sliced open in a way he didn't need to see. He moved the flashlight along the room slowly, his breath hitching and staying caught in his throat.

He tried to ignore the face of Ruby as he did so. The light blared on some items, ranging from forgettable to useless, when something caught his eye. A necklace. Severus grabbed it, bringing it close to his eyes for a better look. He recognised the necklace, it had belonged to the janitor.

The janitor. The janitor had been the killer this entire time.

There were footsteps from outside and Severus quickly scrambled for a hiding place, turning off his flashlight. He buried himself under the dead, decomposing bodies. His nose wrinkled with vigour, and he tried his best to keep in his gags. The door slammed open, and Severus shuddered as the janitor stepped into the room. He stayed still as best as he could.

Petunia scrutinised the movie screen with a confused look, leaning towards Yvonne to whisper.

"I don't get it, what does the school janitor have to do with the camping trip? Did he follow them all the way to the camp just so he could kill them?"

"Weren't you listening?" Yvonne whispered back, "The guy was at the camp as a summer job."

Snape was great at playing... Pretending to be a distressed, hopeless young boy. To be fair, he was those things, but to really see it was something.

"Do you think he'll be in more movies?" Yvonne asked her eagerly, "He's way too good to say no to anything. And way too cute."

"Ew," Petunia chuckled, "He's still a kid, you know."

Parker Posey as Petunia Evans

Olivia Hussey as Yvonne

Chapter Text

"They're looking for young boys, around your age." said Stanley.

Severus looked him dead in the eyes, "To play a rebellious vampire, stuck in the body of a teenager, who was turned in medieval England, and is now a modern day punk. He bumps into some werewolves who decide to make his immortality a living hell."

"Hey, you wont be the only one that looks ridiculous," Stanley pointed out, "Everyone who stars in this film will have wild makeup and wigs. I'll make a compromise, and make sure they don't cut your precious hair."

"Oh, huff and puff, and blow me!"

"Quickly, reverse it."

The editors pressed the button and laughed once again.

"Oh, huff and puff, and blow me!"

"Did you hear it?" he laughed, "That came from his soul, I think he meant it."

"The fact that it was improvised makes it better," said one of the ladies, "Apparently, he wasn't supposed to say anything for that entire time."

It had been his favourite place, this store. It had undergone many changes over the decades, first being a bakery and then a shoe shop. Now, it was an antique store for unsuspecting hippies. He entered, a bell chiming to make sure he was seen and heard. He saw the girl he was looking for, he knew that strange birthmark anywhere.

"Cordelia," he called "Got any wisdom for me?"

Alison shrugged, "None for the moment, other than get out of my store." she shooed him.

Severus scoffed at her, "Oh dear, please don't be like that-"

"My ancestors agreed to help you out for 600 years, but those years have passed."

Severus tilted his head as he quipped, "Well, 610 years, when you think about it."

"Exactly," she tutted, "You don't need to protect the bloodline anymore, and I don't need to tell you of any more danger. You're more than free to walk alone now."

Severus averted his eyes from hers as he slowly made his way to the door.

Alison sighed, "You don't have to walk like it's 1367 anymore. There's no one here to out us for being monsters, and you get to feed on as many unsuspecting people as you'd like. I'll give you one more word of wisdom, and then you leave."

He gave her his hand, and she took it. Her eyes went blank and pale, and she started to stare through him.

"On a rainy night, you will have a visitor, but do not meet the visitor."

The next scene skipped to Severus at the bus stop. It was night, but he could see that the sky was becoming lighter. He groaned, checking his watch. 4:34. Severus lit a cigarette as he took a seat. His nose wrinkled as his eyes flicked to his left, but he dared not to give that stranger anymore attention.

"Are you one of those older uppity ones, or the new kind?"

Severus ignored him, staring into the pitch darkness of the street, where the street lamps didn't shine.

"What's your favourite Beatles song-"

"I fucking hate the Beatles." Severus snapped, he sucked in his cig and blew out some smoke.

There were some groans and giggles coming from the crowd.

Severus stood up, taking off in the direction opposite the stranger.

"Where you going?" said the stranger, genuine curiosity.

Severus ignored him, his steps picking up speed. The stranger waited for a bit before sprinting after him. He followed the scent, and went in circles trying to find the end of it. He looked up and smirked to himself.

"He flies."

Severus landed softly onto the roof of the church. He and the Catholic church didn't have the friendliest history, but this one behaved oblivious to the homeless crashing in their storage rooms. It was his temporary stay, until he decided to run off to some other place. It started to rain, and Severus quickly climbed through the window, taking his coat off to dry. He took out the box he had been sleeping in for a week. His ow makeshift coffin.

His back straightened as his nose wrinkled, but his ears were most sensitive as he jumped from the sudden banging on the door. He heard jeers and howls coming from the other end, and he covered his ears.

Severus sneered, "God damned wolves." he cussed.

"Hey Bats, we hear you rejected our friend, Howie here."

"Oh, huff and puff, and blow me!" Severus screamed at the door.

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"I knew you could do it," grinned Stanley. "Ruby was right, you do look like an overgrown bat."

"Oh, quiet." huffed Severus.

"Didn't I tell you?" His sire spoke to him, "Vampires and werewolves will always hate each other no matter what. You assured me you'd be fine on your own." he said sternly.

"Then I lied," Severus said over his shoulder, "You had better things to do than take care of me, and I didn't want to burden you."

"Don't start that," Morgan frowned solemnly at Severus, "Have you tried staying at a different part of the city? Going to a different city?"

"Is that why this one follows me?" Severus looked up at him, "Do they have no other place to go? What could they want?" he threw his hands up.

"Have you had run-ins with them before? Werewolves live up to 400 years, and they age slowly. Maybe you've met them before."

"I stay out of everyone's way." Severus snapped at him.

"Being peaceful also attracts attention, Jared," Morgan scolded, "And your quietness makes it worse if anything. No matter what, we'll have problems. That's what I told you when I first prepared you for this."

"This has turned to a queer direction, hasn't it." Yvonne whispered.

"Has it?" Petunia glanced at her.

"That Howie wolf has decided you're his." said Morgan.

"What are you talking about?"

"I guess it should've been obvious," Morgan shook his head with a delirious smirk, "That wolf is infatuated with you."

"Told you." Yvonne smirked.

Morgan drank some blood from a cup, "I bloody hate hippies, they're the first ones to talk about peace, but will stand up only for their own rights. Where did you get the idea to hang around that Cordelia girl? The last thing I need is to go to her for a clue."

"Cordelia isn't bad," Severus denied, "She's just an inexperienced witch, and though my deal with her family has long since passed, we are still good friends."

Morgan tutted, "Why don't I see her here helping you, then? If you're both such good friends?" his eyes were strongly harsh, and Severus reacted by cowering under them.

They both heard a sound, Morgan drank the blood in one gulp, before motioning his head to the window. Severus took the signal, and transformed into a bat. Morgan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he waited. His expression was humorous, but his eyes were venomous. Eric arrived, searching around until he finally came across Morgan.

"You smell like him!" yelled Eric, "Where is he! Where's Jared!"

"Howie, right?" Morgan asked, "If you're gonna woo a boy, don't be so aggressive. Also, did you think this through before you followed him all the way to Coventry?"

The next scene had Severus cornered by Eric, in the dungeons Severus had been turned in.

"You don't remember me?" asked Eric, "We were both accused of witchcraft in 1645. You saved me and my family from getting killed and exposed. Despite our species history together, you still saved me. I finally got to see you again, those months ago."

Severus furrowed his brows, looking exhausted. "How would you know it was me?"

"I never forget a face, Jared."

Eric tilted his head, a mocking kindness as he readjusted his hair. Severus squinted at him.

"Howie," Severus said to himself, "Howard? Howard Foy?"

Eric began to smile, genuinely happy. "See, you do remember."

"Was following me and randomly popping up in my favourite spots really necessary?"

"You were hanging around with that witch," Eric spat, "How else was I supposed to get your eyes on me?"

Severus' eyes boggled, "By doing anything but that."

Eric looked disappointed, "I think it's too late," he rummaged through his pockets and took out 2 eyeballs. "I was going to take them out with my bare hands, but I didn't want to get my finger nails dirty. She was still alive the last time I saw her, but I don't know if she's bled to death."

The movie ended with Eric being stabbed through the heart by a stake. Severus stared into his eyes as the sun came up from behind them.

Lee Pace as Morgan Michaelson

Odessa A'Zion as Alison Sommers

Brady Hepner as Eric Johnson

Chapter Text

The Evans bunch were a family that argued amongst themselves often, although quiet about it. There was only one thing everyone in the house could agree on, and that was the late night talk show, Crazy Lady. It aired every Thursday night, and every guest interviewed was always someone involved in whatever was trending that year. It was mostly aimed towards teenage girls, but people of any age found themselves watching it.

"Just in time, Arnold," Doris quipped, "I see you got your beer."

"You missed the first half, dad." smirked Petunia.

"I hear you, I hear you," he said, making himself comfortable on the couch. "Shh, it's starting."

"Welcome back to the Crazy Lady show! I'm your host, Celene Sawyer, for anyone at home who missed out on the first half. For our next guest, I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to Severus Snape!"

The crowd cheered. Severus walked onto the stage, trying his best to appear neutral, but failing to do so as he shyly made his way to a seat.

"Is that who I think it is?" said Petunia. She looked at both her parents, who both stared at the t.v speechless.

"It's lovely to meet you, Severus."

"Thank you for having me, miss Sawyer."

"So Severus, you're one of Britain's new upcoming actors," when Severus nodded, she kept going, "This year you worked in two films, and they both were released into cinemas around the same time. Teens to Fathom and The Dungeon Bat. Which one was your favourite?" she asked, leaning at the edge of her seat.

Severus thought about it, "I'd say Teens to Fathom-"

The crowd cheered, startling Severus a bit.

"What was it like working with the director," she corrected herself, "Jonathan Crafter?"

Severus felt himself grin with his teeth, This was an interesting film, because Jonathan, he was looking for authentic, real people-"

"Whatever that means," she scoffed humorously.

Severus didn't know how to react, but he proceeded. "Yeah, and I told him that I knew some people, and introduced him to Garrett, Hopkins and Ruby. Garrett ended up being a co-director, and even did some camera work. Ruby and Hopkins did a great job coaching the other actors-"

She cut in, "And you worked with these people before, right? It was some random film you guys made, like a home video."

Severus started to grin a bit more, "It was great working with them again."

"Is there anything you can share about Ruby and Hopkins?"

"Um," Severus paused, his eyes darting around. "I can't speak for them, but I'm pretty sure they're not interested in acting. Ruby, she's into set design, and has an eye for appearance and the like. As for Hopkins, I remember him expressing interest in doing special effects stuff, like the extreme makeup stuff-"

"Is Hopkins his actual name?" she asked.

Startled, Severus stared at her, trying to gather his thoughts together. "Yes, Hopkins is his real name. Hopkins Forest."

"Can you explain what Teens to Fathom was about?"

"Teens to Fathom is about a group of teenagers who celebrate their graduation by going on a camping trip, which is an excuse to do some drinking and stuff. We were playing a group of teenagers who are arseholes, and they would make things harder for the adults around them, whether it's intentional or unintentional."

"Why did the janitor attack them?"

Severus shrugged at her, "I can explain my interpretation."

There were a few claps from the audience, encouraging him to go on. He sent them an appreciative glance.

"I saw the janitor as a man who snapped. A huge chunk of his life went to tending to the school, and working at a job where he's looked down on. The biggest amount of disrespect he receives is from these teenagers, right. Now that schools out, he has to find something to do for the summer, and works at a camp site. Low and behold, these kids show up and do the same old. They drive him insane, and cause a mess left and right. I don't think he was justified in what he did, it's pretty despicable, actually. However, I see his circumstance as a cautionary tale."

Some audience members clapped in understanding.

Celene nodded slowly, and quickly summoned her energetic eagerness. "Let's talk about the Dungeon Bat. I hear you had a good time with Alison Sommers, and Morgan Michaelson. What was it like playing Jared?"

Severus thought deeply about this question before answering, "Playing Jared was all about letting some anger out, as I found myself confiding in this character. I'd also say it was a chance to just dress as loose as I wanted. I grew up wearing baggy and mismatched clothes, and that's very much Jared's wardrobe. He'll wear anything he likes, and I don't think he cares about what he wears thanks to the mindset he was turned in. And that was not caring about the opinions of strangers."

Celene tilted her head, looking for something. "Is there any backstage drama you got in the back of your mind?"

At first I didn't want to play Jared because I thought I would look ridiculous, but my agent convinced me otherwise. The only complaint I would have is the red contact lenses. It was my first time wearing contacts in general, but I do not look forward to wearing any again. Morgan..." he paused with an awkward smile. The crowd started giggling as they waited.

"Well?"

Severus chuckled, "He was kind of strict. He's a perfectionist, so when it came to our scenes together he wanted them to look genuine. Even though there weren't a lot of them, he wanted to get that all in one take. He understood his character a lot. He plays Jared's sire, which can be anything, but the bond that they have is technically adoption, but he's a distant father due to circumstance. One way he would prepare himself is by sending me a list of my chores to do, just letting himself get used to being bossy and responsible." Severus went rosy in the face as he thought about it.

"What was it like with Alison and Eric? What were they like?"

"They were great to work with. Alison was super friendly, and me and Eric got along well. What's amazing about Eric is that he was super shy and had this soft voice that put you to sleep, and not in a bad way. But as soon as we started filming his entire personality just shifted," Severus smiled, "He's so good at playing an arsehole, I gotta say."

The crows wooed as if to support this claim.