Title: A Ravenclaw Life
Rating: G to PG
Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Harry Potter, I just own this idea. (If I did, Snape's reasons for everything he did, from joining Voldemort to betraying him, would have been more than the unrequited love cliché that JK wrote for him.)
Genre: Alternate Reality
Pairings: None that really come into play.
MAJOR WARNING #1 : A Female Severus Snape. If you do not like, do NOT read.
Warnings #2: Does really liking Severus and thinking he got a raw deal count? Some violent imagery, come on, we start with his home life. Oh, I made him a female because there are not enough strong women in the Harry Potter world. Even the strongest females don't get enough attention - Lily's dead (and her actions are mostly passed over). Tonks dies and Hermione is rarely used for anything more than her smarts. Most of the strong females are DE's, insane (Alice Longbottom) or dead, which isn't fair (take a moment to think about it. You have Molly Weasley (good), Minerva McGonagall (definitely good), Hermione Granger (good), Ginny (good), Luna (good), Granny Longbottom (good) and who else comes to mind? I mean really, who else ALIVE comes quickly to mind? So, if you missed the above notation and the one in the summary, Severus a female – though I know he's male – so, please don't call me an idiot. It is rude and unkind – and will be considered a flame and reported as so.
Summary: Severus asks for the sorting she wants – and her life takes a different path because she rarely runs into the Marauders. She does not pay them any mind – nor do they acknowledge her existence more than they have to.

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Tears no longer came to her eyes as she endured this familiar punishment for breathing too loudly for her father's peace of mind. The whistling sound of the metal against metal was the worst part, Severus tried reminding herself of the fact as the poker was slowly withdrawn from its place by the fireplace.

The jagged tip crashed down against her open palms, tearing into her flesh, ripping it open as it was jerked up for the next blow. Blood splattered her dirty clothes, blending in perfectly with the silken blackness, though her outfit was supposed to be grey. She stood perfectly still, pale face carved out of ice as the blows landed again and again.

"No attention, do you hear me?" Tobias Snape snarled, the poker put away at last. "I want you to be quiet as a mouse, stiller than frozen water – and I do not want you to do any more work than is necessary to pass those…those pathetic things they call classes. I will not have your brains addled anymore than they already are. Do you understand me, girl?"

"Yes, sir," Severus did the best she could to hold her voice steady, to not reveal the tears she held back. Her hands throbbed incessantly.

"I want no attention brought to you whatsoever," he reiterated. His finger jabbed at the open sores, noting with satisfaction the red that stained his daughter's pasty white palms. The flinch she tried so hard to suppress. "You will not heal these or allow them to be healed once you reach that place. They will sting and rip open to bleed as a reminder of my orders. Make no mistake, you misbegotten cretin, I will check every time I see you until that beast comes to take you to the train."

"Yes, father," Severus' head bowed, greasy hair shielding her face from further scrutiny. For the first time, she hated and despised the magical heritage that was her own. She felt no pride in the proud history of her mother's family, only shame and vowed that one day, it would be different. That one day, she would hold her head up high and feel no sorrow or shame at what she was.

She would become a witch of true worth and may be win her father's love at last.

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Severus squeezed herself as close to the window as she could, trying her best to disappear into the walls of the train. Outside the compartment door, she could hear the laughter and happiness of the students as they readied themselves for a new school year.

Now that she was alone, the well known feeling of panic settled upon her. Staring out the window, she shut her ears to the cacophonous sounds that assailed her. Now was not the time for her to fail in following her father's orders.

But it was hard. She'd never been around so many openly magical beings in her entire life.

"Hi, Severus," Lily's voice interrupted her musings. She looked at her, startled to see her there, dragging her trunk into the compartment. It thudded to the ground and she looked at it, slightly sheepish, easily reading her questioning look. "I didn't know where else to put it and I didn't have anyone close enough to ask. You weren't waiting for me like you promised you would be. Do you mind if I join you? Everything else is either taken or is far too noisy for me."

"I don't mind," she shrugged, hiding her happiness to see her, though it was hard. She'd been almost positive that Lily had forgotten all about her – or that she would in the days to come. Lily was the prettiest, friendliest person she ever knew.

For whatever reason, the redhead had attached herself to her side and Severus was forever grateful for it, even if she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do in return. She'd never had a friend before, let alone one who actually sought her out. "But I thought you were going to sit with that girl you met in Diagon Alley?"

Lily flopped down on the other bench, flipping her red hair out of her face, "She's busy with her relatives. Is every family in the wizarding world so…big? Sev, what happened to your hands?" Her first question forgotten once she got a good look at her, utterly appalled.

Starting at the tips of her fingers, individually wrapped around each one, the dingy whiteness - stained with what could only be blood - of the bandages continued on up her arms until they vanished underneath her sleeves, her green eyes were filled with horrified tears of rage.

"I slammed them in the car door in my haste to make it to the train station on time," she quickly said, averting her eyes, knowing she'd see her untruth anyway, "And in the boot earlier when I was putting in my trunks."

"You lie," she coldly said knowing full well that Hagrid had brought her to the train station because Severus' father refused to allow his only child to go to that hell bound, demon raising school. If not for the magic in his daughter's veins - which kept the beast illegally laden in alcohol and whores - she was sure he'd have killed Severus years ago.

And though there was no proof at all, she just knew that Tobias Snape had killed his wife in a fit of rage – most likely in front of Sev.

"Well, what do you expect from a natural born Slytherin?" a voice unperturbedly said.

The two of them looked up, startled, and saw a tall, white blond haired young man leaning there, a man who obviously was a few years ahead of them. His pose was casual as he icily stared back at them. His grey eyes narrowed thoughtfully, studying Snape in particular, dismissing the redhead. There was something about the girl's angular face that itched at his mind.

But what was it?

"You're from the Prince family, aren't you?" he asked, memory returning as the girl stared at him. That sharply angular, almost unnaturally ugly face belonged to only one family in the entire wizardly community - the Prince family.

It was an adverse remnant of their faeish history that they grew out of the older they became, a sign of their changeling nature.

Legend was, though no one knew for sure, that their looks improved as they aged if they were treated well. Studying her, he was sure that no treatment would ever improve the regrettable looks – especially the nose. This was the one his father had wanted him to find? Abraxas was not going to be pleased at all.

"Yes, sir," Severus stammered, fingers twitching restlessly on her lap. There was something about this young man she didn't quite trust, though she could not say for sure why. May be it was his air of total and complete assurance. No one should be that assured, no matter their age or family background.

It wasn't normal.

"You should be in the front compartments with the rest of us," he coldly informed her, almost in the manner of a royal order. He had an imperial way of speaking that just screamed of his inherent power and birthright, of his rightful place in the wizarding world. And it was quite clear – to Severus at least, though she was sure Lily picked up on something from the tone of his voice - that the us in question meant the entire population of Slytherin - the most notorious House in all of Hogwarts. "I'm Lucius Malfoy."

"Severus Ellen Snape," she managed to stammer out her full name, gesturing towards Lily quickly, wanting to get the look off of her, "And this is Lily Evans, my friend."

"I am not interested in the filthy common mudblood horde – nor should you," Lucius coldly informed them, staring straight at Severus. Yet he seemed to be totally aware of Lily's attempt to disappear into the seat. Aware and utterly unconcerned about it, the filthy little beast should be afraid of him, should be worried of what he could do to her.

She was a nonentity in his mind, less than that in fact, this audacious creature who dared to mingle with polite company. "Come with me, Miss Snape, so that I may introduce you to your real friends."

The girl's beetle black eyes darted between the two of them, caught in a war she didn't quite understand. If she went with this Lucius Malfoy now, she was sure she would lose Lily's precious friendship. Even if there was a voice in the back of her mind saying that such a thing was not so, Sev couldn't shake the feeling off.

But if she didn't leave with him, she was sure to come to the attention of the Slytherins - and her father. In the back of her mind, she could hear his voice scolding her now. She shivered, pulling her robe tightly about her body, not sure which frightened her more.

"Thank you for the offer," she whispered at last. It took all of her courage to continue with her refusal in the face of Lucius' cold charm. Yet, it was for Lily, to reassure her friend that they were in this together. The adventure of Hogwarts was one they'd share, "But I would rather stay here. I…I like the company."

Lucius' eyebrow rose at that – no one had ever dared to refuse a Malfoy's order before.

And he knew that the Snape kid was no fool - it was in her eyes. The girl knew all to well that it was no request being made of her, it was an order. "Very well - but I will be keeping an eye on you, Miss Snape. You will soon learn who is the right kind of wizard - and who is best left licking the dust from off of your shoes. Until later," he sketched a bow - though his eyes never left Severus' own - and disappeared, shutting the door behind him.

But the image of those bandaged hands remained in Lucius' mind and he fumed, knowing that it meant some idiot had beaten up a superior being.