The Redemption of Severus Snape

Prologue

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling. I'm just having some fun with her characters. No profit is being made from this story.

A/N: This is a work in progress. Some of the chapters may seem hurried; that's b/c they're essentially still in draft form. I know there are some canon-compliancy issues that need to be worked out too. The early chapters focus a lot on getting to know the OC. Have patience, Snape will get a lot more attention later on.

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Prologue:

"What a beautiful sunny morning," thought a thin red-haired man as he walked with all the other office workers on their way to begin the workday. He was drawn away from his happy private reverie by a lovely, well-dressed, young girl who was kneeling on the sidewalk next to her car, changing a flat tire. He estimated the girl to be close in age with his oldest son. She was already placing the lug nuts onto the new tire. The flat one was sitting behind her. He was about to offer his assistance when he noticed that one of the lug nuts had rolled away from her on the uneven ground. She reached for it without turning her head. The man was just about to bend down to pick it up for her when he noticed a faint blue light, barely visible in the bright sunshine, surround the lug nut, and it rolled back up the pavement into her hand. He was taken aback by what he saw as he'd not sensed anything from this girl. She seemed to be like every other Muggle he'd ever met.

The girl stood and placed the tire iron she had been using in her car's trunk. She turned back to pick up the flat tire when the man spoke, "I'll get that for you." She smiled pleasantly and thanked him as he dropped the tire into the trunk. She opened a white plastic container and pulled out a couple of small wet towelettes for his hands, and then did the same for herself. She chatted amiably with him, all small talk. "Good thing it's a sunny day. It's miserable having to change a tire in the rain."

The man replied, "Yes, I know what you mean, but at least you weren't caught on a country lane. There's nothing worse than to have to kneel in mud with torrents of rain pouring down on you."

"Oh, yes, that would have been horrid," said the girl. She thanked him again, and he tipped his hat and watched her enter her vehicle and drive off. He made a mental note of the vehicle's license plate and make. New model, dark-green Jaguar, camel-colored interior...