A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

Assignment #10 Muggle Media - Task 5: Home Alone - write a Home Alone!AU; Extra Prompt - (character) Severus Snape

Count Your Buttons: (object) playing cards

Christmas at the Movies: Home Alone - write about someone defending their home.

Word Count: 889

The light tapping of cards hitting the table echoed in the foyer of the home. Severus was sitting by himself with a deck of cards, organizing them and shuffling them back and forth in a repetitive motion.

"Leave me at home will you," the young boy mumbled, "with nothing to keep me company but myself and playing cards."

He sighed to himself, frowning and looking towards the floor. "I shouldn't be so surprised anyway…" Severus turned his attention towards the lifeless mantle and dingy tree with lack of decorations. "It's not Christmas here anyway. It's better off without the both of them."

Severus piled up the cards and placed them back in their package. "The Prince doesn't need them. The Prince doesn't need anyone!"

In his declaration, Severus threw the deck of cards to the other side of the room. He glided out of the room, the sound of his baggy shirt billowing with each step. It hardly took much for him to arrive in the living room.

If the room filled with two worn out sofas and a dark, wooden coffee table could classify as a living room. Severus sat on one of the sofas on his knees, stretching the fabric more. His body was in the direction of the window, and he stared through the thin, dirty curtains that concealed hardly anything.

His eyes scanned the outside world, observing the dreary neighborhood covered in snow. Severus would have enjoyed it better had he had some company; unfortunately, that was Severus's life.

At the sight of dark figures running through the house across the street, Severus narrowed his eyes and hummed in thought.

"Those must be those robbers the neighbors mentioned two days ago," he said to himself. He shook his head. "They are not welcome in my kingdom. I will make sure of that."

The nine year old slipped away from the window and dipped into the shadows of his home, aiming not to be seen.

He quickly made sure the doors were locked before making his way to his bedroom. There, Severus grabbed one of his dingy pillows and went to his closet; he began to prepare his defense.

/

Severus laid in wait in the corner of his bedroom next to the door as he heard the heavy steps from boots coming down the narrow hallway. He pressed his ear to the wall; it was thin enough to hear deep, gruffy voices.

"You sure this place is worth something?" one of the voices asked.

"We're gonna find out, Lou," the other voice snapped.

"Come on, Phil. I mean...look at it." Severus could hear the disgust in 'Lou's' voice. No one was to disrespect his home; and he'd make sure they knew that.

He clenched his thin fingers into a fist; time to execute his plan. Kicking his door open to catch their attention, Severus gripped the string from the bag he was holding and tugged at it, releasing the contents.

As the contents of the bag rolled on the floor, Severus spotted the man arriving at the top of the stairs; he stood there, waiting for the obviously oblivious man to come all the way up the stairs.

The first robber huffed at the sight of Severus. Reaching his hands out in a choking motion, the robber ran at him. "I'm going to get you, you stupid brat!"

Severus stood there calmly with a small, sly smile. "No you're not."

The robber didn't have the time to reply because one of his legs shot up in the air higher than he would have liked, and he landed on his back.

The second robber ran into the room after hearing the thud. Severus watched as he looked down at his fallen, groaning accomplice before meeting Severus's eyes.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

Severus folded his arms. "You shouldn't be here, so leave. Now."

The burly man snarled before reaching his rough hands forward to grab Severus. As he barely escaped what befell his friend–a small range of marbles–the man tripped on a rope. When he landed on the floor, the man wasn't prepared for a scolding substance to land on his back and seep into his dark clothing.

He cried out in shock and pain, scrambling to get up and throw the clothes he was wearing off him.

Severus stood there with a small, smug look as the robber took hold of his jacket and threw it off. He was panting and kicked at the knocked out man on the floor.

"Phil! Let's get the hell outta here!" he said. Phil was groaning and stirring while Severus held out a remote control he had hid in his large shirt.

"This is the last time I'll say it," Severus said, "so leave my home and don't come back!" He held the remote towards them. "I won't be afraid to use this."

"What is that, kid?" the robber demanded, "just back off!" He kicked at Phil again who shot up, only to fall from the marbles on the ground.

From the hilarity of the situation, Severus found himself laughing at the robbers' expense. He decided to press the button on the remote control anyway.

Needless to say, Severus would have the memory of large men covered in hot glue and feathers for a long time.