Prohibition | Severus Snape

A Black Door

Sofia clutched to her bag as she waited for Severus to meet her at the back entrance of Hogwarts. After their tender evening the night before, he had left in the early hours of the morning, to avoid any students seeing him in Sofia's room. They had decided to meet at the edge of the grounds before apparating to Sofia's childhood home. Sofia was wracked with anxiety as she hasn't been home in years. After her mother had passed, she was reluctant to visit that small house again. She was never huge on moving on from the past, therefore, she simply never came back to visit, worried that it would resurface the grief that she worked so hard on pushing away. So after the funeral, she turned off the gas and electricity to avoid bills, and never looked back. As she continued to fiddle with her bag and the small silver rings on her fingers, she heard footsteps behind her. 

"Do you need help apparating?" 

"No. I remember it well." Sofia mumbled as she outstretched her arm to Severus. Severus was also a little nervous. He had been worried about the watch for so long, that he simply couldn't believe they were so close to finding it. Or so close to discovering that it was never there. As soon as he touched Sofia's arm he felt his mind separate from his body as they apparated. When he felt his feet touch the ground he huffed fixing his shirt and taking in the surroundings. Suddenly, his breath hitched in his throat. 

"Where are we?" 

"English Midlands. It's a small town, I'm sure you wouldn't have heard of it." 

"Hm." Severus hummed as he continued to look around, squinting. It was obviously an industrial town as the sky could barely be visible from the thickness of the factory smoke. Sofia started to walk in front of him as he followed her small footsteps. With every building he noticed, he silently prayed that he was mistaken as to which town this was. He took in the broken streetlamps and dull brick houses which were built as if on top of each other. But as Sofia turned the street he could no longer deny his intuition. Only for a second did he manage to catch a glance of the street name: Spinner. He suddenly stopped in his tracks mesmerised by the street sign. 

"Everything okay?" He heard her soft voice before she looked back. 

"Yes." He muttered. He could no longer deny where he was. The town they were in was Severus childhood home; Cokeworth. Only a minutes walk from where he was standing was his own small house. He decided that now was not the time for such a discussion as he followed Sofia down endless dark narrow alleyways. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he walked on the familiar dull streets, images of his lonely childhood flashing in his mind as he proceeded to ignore them. 

"Here." Spoke Sofia as she hesitantly walked up to a small black door. The black paint was peeling off the edges. Huffing, she took the rusty key out of her bag. But before she could open the door, her right hand began to shake. She had suddenly realized how long it has been since she stood on her own doorstep. She saw the small kitchen window by the door which was covered by yellowing curtains. Suddenly she saw a flash of her mother cooking in the kitchen. Gasping she dropped the key on the ground. She looked into the small window again, but alas she saw no one there. Biting the inside of her cheek she had almost forgotten that she dropped the key. 

"Allow me." She heard his deep voice from behind her, as Severus picked up the key and unlocked the door for her before pushing it open. Sofia stepped into the grey hallway, Severus following closely behind her. Sofia looked to the right seeing the remains of the kitchen in which she had once accidentally burned her mother. In front of her, was the tiny living room with an ancient Television propped up on a small stand. There was a hideous green couch at the edge of the room, which was now beginning to darken and almost rot from the lack of care. Stepping deeper in, she saw some of her old photographs. A photograph of her father, her mother, and her, when she was merely 7 years old. Sofia was quickly finding it hard to breathe as she continued to walk through the living room. On the small table between the couch and the Television, she noticed some old magazines dating back to 1999. She kissed her teeth as she pushed them aside, finding a newspaper dating only a few years later. Must have been the last newspaper she read, Sofia thought to herself. Sofia started to feel hot tears welling up in her eyes, but before allowing herself to relish in the past a little more, she remembered why she had come here in the first place. Turning around she noticed that Severus was also curiously walking around her small living room, mostly taking in the photographs. He seemed to be gazing at a photograph of her young father for a little too long.