The Shadows of Cokeworth
Cokeworth
Derbyshire, England
August 1973
An unnerving chill crawled along the uneven cobblestone streets of the cul-de-sac not unlike a spider weaving a web, yet the coldness was unnoticed by the slumbering residents within their terraced homes.
The old iron lamppost at the far end of the street stood solitary and solidly in the twilight, a small beacon of light against the darkness of the night. But it was then that the light flickered suddenly, not once nor twice but thrice, before dying out wholly and blanketing the surrounding area in the cold shadows of the nighttime darkness.
Everything was silent, until a single stone rocketed down the empty road and a lone figure followed after it, continuing to kick it with scuffed shoes. The individual was as dark as all that was around him, and it felt as if he had appeared out of nowhere, and his presence seemed to make everything feel even chillier than before as he slowly strolled toward a particular house.
He was out of place, but he had no need to worry in the dead of night as there were no nosy people around to judge or assume as if they were the height of sophistication and intelligence, which he knew none of them were. They were the underbelly to the likes of him, and not worth much in his opinion, but as he stood before the house at the end of the terrace, staring up at the window above the kitchen of 13 Regents End, there could be only one exception to the rule.
Lily Evans was the only exception in the eyes of Severus Snape, and as he stared up at her bedroom window that was hidden behind lavender geometric curtains, he couldn’t help the scowl that appeared upon his sallowed face. Months had passed since he had seen her last, weeks and days from that day, minutes and seconds after they had parted back in June, and he was irritated. Severus Snape was annoyed, not just irritated by her absentee friendship. Was he no longer important to her?
So now he here was, standing alone before her home here in a chilly Cokeworth, unnaturally so for the late summer. He only ever returned here knowing she was here too, and in his thirteenth year he detested having to come back to Spinners End, to the dank desolate place where he came from. At least Lily came from the nice part of town, but he hated coming here and as he had no answer to his owls this past summer, he had no other choice than to make the long trek by foot to where she lived.
Severus hadn’t dared to write to any of her other friends, those witches were nothing short of idiotic in his mind, about the whereabouts of Lily. She had been his friend before any of theirs, anyway. But as he stared up at his best friend’s home he realised something else - it seemed like the entire house was empty, not a single thing stirring or making a sound, nor was Lily’s old cat asleep in the kitchen window. Her father’s car was nowhere to be seen either, and Severus couldn’t help the snarl that fell from his curled lips and, with one more glance up towards that little window, he turned away and began to slowly saunter down the dark side street that would sadly lead him all the way home.