The late summer of 1995 was grim and dangerous. The dark Lord has risen once again, and was now reeking havoc and gathering followers. The days were hot, dry, and awful like the Dark Lord himself.
But in the shadows of it all there was a resistance rising with all odds against them. They called themselves the Order of the Phoenix. The Order was an army of strong witches and wizards, who all were asking the same question. What will the Dark Lord cause and how will they stop it?
The Order had gathered for a meeting that night in the old house of a member's family, called 12 Grimmauld Place. Though they were small, the were hoping to obtain a witch who the leader of the Order, Albus Dumbledore, said she would be compared to him someday. Her name might you ask? Archer Donnavera Lestrange Snape.
Archer was a beautiful, powerful witch. She had parents who were death eaters, but her father, Severus Snape was no longer loyal. Archer herself was involved since she had possessed the Dark Mark since she was an infant. Her parents Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape, were unmarried and never wished to have a child, they were amazed what one drunken depressing night could create. Archer unlike her parents who had black eyes and hair, tall height, and pale skin, was blond, blue eyed, and shared the pale skin but with a perfect amount of blush and a few freckles on her nose and cheeks. She was short and thin, but any meat on her body was muscle, pure muscle.
That was how the last person who saw her remembered her at least.
Archer was on the run during this violent summer, thanks to Death Eaters who planned to attack the Durmstrang ship as it sailed away, and isolated her from her classmates and left her lost, not able to apparate or communicate through the mark on her arm.
Meanwhile at Grimmauld place, the Order was getting ready to have a fine dinner, then later to start their meeting. All of them were worried about Archer, she had not returned and there was no sign of her anywhere, there were search parties, and they even asked around, but no sign of her. Many feared the worst, while a small few still had hope that Archer was still alive and would be here soon.
Severus Snape was more anxious than anyone for Archer's return, he had not heard from her all summer, not since she hugged him goodbye. Snape wasn't hungry, he hadn't eaten much, or slept much over the course of this summer. His home down on Spinners End seemed empty without his daughter's happy voice, he even wished he could hear the sound of angry sarcastic snarls come from his daughters mouth. It was much better than silence.
Snape then heard a loud, single knock on the door, then a thud, as if someone were collapsing. He stood up from his chair and strode over to the door to investigate. He opened the brass handle on the dark wooden door and slowly opened the door. Shocked at the very sight he saw.
It was Archer, who was struggling to stand up straight, grabbing a hold of the outside doorknob to support herself. Her legs and arms were trembling as she desperately tried to support herself. Snape then put his arm around his daughter's waist and carried her in with a quickened pace.
The Order members gasped when they saw Snape enter the room with the weak Archer. One of the members, Minerva McGonagall, almost screamed in horror when she saw Archer like this and rushed to help Severus carry his weakened daughter.
They found a living room with a musty dark couch and put Archer's almost limp body on it.
Dumbledore then entered the scene after hearing it from another Order member. He had people make way so he could observe Archer's body.
Archer was a mess, she was covered in blood an dirt, her hair was a tangled mess, with some strands starting to twist into dreadlocks, you could see where the hair had grown from the nice bun she had her hair in when she got lost. Her eyes seemed like they had lost some of their light, her eyes had larger pupils, larger to the point it was abnormal, the whites of her eyes had gone a little red as well. Her skin was littered with cuts, scars, bruises, burns, and broken blood vessels, her skin was also lacking in color, she had lost the nice blush in her cheeks and the freckles. Her breathing was more like gasping for air after being almost suffocated.
A woman in the Order, Molly Weasley, stood next to Dumbledore and gasped at the sight of this very girl.
" Albus, what's happened?" Molly Weasley asked in shock.
" This is Archer Snape Mrs. Weasley. She is the one I have told you about, and is in a relationship with your son, George. She will need to be taken care of over the next few weeks, she is very weak, she will need constant care, I hope you could help with that." Dumbledore told Molly who touched Archer's skeletal hand, her knuckles stuck out to a point it didn't look natural, her hands were also littered with cuts, burns and bruises, it was also very ghostly in color.
" Well of course Albus, I couldn't let her sit here like this!" Molly Weasley almost shouted. " Out, everyone, out! I need to examine her body to see if there is any worse!" Molly shouted at everyone, gesturing them to get out.
Once everyone left the room, Molly then felt Archer's ribs, they were so prominent that it wasn't healthy at all, Molly could have sworn that she could have used Archer's ribs as a xylophone.
" Mrs. Weasley?" Archer asked in a weak, breathless voice.
Molly looked Archer in the eye and smiled.
" Yes Archer dear?" Molly asked back.
" I'm Archer. I'm sure you know, but I thought it better to properly introduce myself to you, since you are my boyfriend's mother." Archer spoke weakly.
" Oh my well thank you dear, I should introduce myself properly to you then, Molly Weasley." Molly spoke with a grin upon her face.
" How bad do I look right now, health wise?" Archer asked, groaning in pain when Molly examined behind her neck, which was pure bone, and it followed all the way down her spine.
" Bad, but it's nothing I can't fix up right away dear, I'm sure we have some Pepper up potion somewhere around here you can use. Tell me about your summer, oh that is if you want to of course." Molly answered. Archer swallowed.
" Being chased by death eaters, heck I'd rather have a love potion slipped in my morning tea to my Highmaster Karkaroff. Death Eaters don't let you rest in any way. So when I actually got sleep it was for a short period of time, and most days I didn't eat at all, and if I did get to eat, it was scraps in the rubbish. I had to duel with pretty much every Death Eater that summer, I even dueled with Voldemort one month ago, and I was close to death, if it wasn't for one blocking charm and my luck of being near a portkey, I would be dead. I was also actually kidnapped the day after I was on the run, I was able to escape within a week, but there were things done to me, and countless muggle borns that I do not want to speak of, you would have nightmares if I told you that. How I got here you might ask, I finally made the death eaters lose my trail, and I found out were the Order was at, here." Archer explained.
Molly was shocked at what the girl in front of her had gone through, what would George think of it? Molly then looked at Archer's leg. It was stick thin, and was littered in scars, gashes, bruises, and several burns. Molly winced at the sight when she saw what looked like a large bite mark on the back of Archer's calf. Molly Weasley could see exposed bone, which almost made her gag.
" Oh, I got that from Cyprus Dolohov, apparently his animaugs is an anaconda." Archer spoke, trying to get a glimpse of the large amount of flesh missing on her leg.
" Dear oh dear, I'm going to get your father, along with some pepper up potion." Molly weakly spoke, her face looked a little green before she left the room.
Archer looked around the musty old room, while others would look in disgust at the layer of dust that covered the room, Archer didn't. Archer thought the place was wonderful, but then again, she had been sleeping in the worst places, when she actually got sleep.
Archer noticed a quote along the wall, it was in Latin, Archer squinted her eyes so she could observe the letters better, they read.
"Quae familia est misereri semper lutumsanguine."
Archer wondered what it meant, she wondered many things at the moment, whether Professor McGonagall found a new apprentice, if she would put everyone her in danger because she was number two on Voldemort's hit list, and how George would think if he ever saw her like this.
Archer then tried to shift her weight on the bed, but she was too weak, all of her adrenaline reserves were used up so she could find this house. Archer was annoyed, she had never been so vulnerable and weak before, the two things she wasn't when she was in school, she was the strongest, the most powerful, the quickest. Right now she felt the world was giving her a nasty lesson on what it was like to be so weak.
Snape and Molly then ran back into the room, Snape stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the large bite mark in Archer's leg.
" You can heal this right Severus?" Molly Weasley asked the stiffened man who only had one question in his mind, when did she get the bite.
" Yes, I can, but first I must ask. How and when did you get that bite on your leg Archer?" Snape spoke coldly.
" Cyprus's animaugs is an anaconda, and a day ago I believe." Archer answered her father's question.
" Is there venom?" Molly asked with concerned curiosity.
" Anaconda's don't have venom Mrs. Weasley, they are a constrictor, they kill their prey by coiling around them until they either suffocate or their neck breaks." Archer spoke, hissing in pain when her father touched her majorly injured calf.
" Hold on Archer, there's a fang stuck in your leg." Snape said, pulling out the large fang out of her leg as quick as possible.
" I don't believe it, this fang is a little over half the size of a Basilisk's fang!" Snape shouted, appalled. Blood began to lightly pour from where the fang had been.
" Do something for Merlin's sakes!" Molly shouted. Snape then nodded and pulled out his wand.
" Vulnera Sanentur." Snape whispered lightly, watching as the skin in Archer's leg began to return.
" You never taught me that spell." Archer spoke softly once her calf was healed.
" And I certainly regret it." Snape spoke to his daughter.
" I'll get her a nice cup of tea and a bowl of soup" Molly said as she walked to the hallway, but she turned around and gave Archer a warm smile. " Does Chicken sound alright?" Molly asked.
" It sounds absolutely wonderful, thank you Mrs. Weasley." Archer said, smiling back.
" Oh sorry I almost forgot to ask. Cream and sugar in your tea dear?" Molly asked again.
" Oh nothing in my tea thank you." Archer spoke, Molly seemed shocked.
" You don't like nothing to sweeten your tea up?" Molly asked out of personal curiosity.
" Oh no ma'am, I was raised an tea without any of that fancy stuff, but thank you for asking." Archer spoke. Molly Weasley then walked away.
" Archer, have you been able to use Occlumency?" Snape asked.
" On and off, it's hard to concentrate when your on the run all of the damned time." Archer said with a laugh.
" What happened?" Snape asked.
Archer then explained the story of her summer to her father, he didn't show any emotion, but in his mind he wanted the Dark Lord dead.
" You were lucky, most people wouldn't be able to survive very long." Snape said after a small awkward silence.
" Oh Merlin I'm lucky, I know that better than Lucius Malfoy knows how to grow hair on his head that would look better on his wife, and that doesn't take any sort of skills at all!" Archer spoke a little louder. Snape almost gave a small smile to the clever comment, indeed Narcissa would look better with Lucius's hair than Lucius would with his hair.
" I have soup dear!" Molly Weasley shouted from in the hall, she turned a corner so she was visible and she was holding a decent sized bowl of soup.
" Thank you so much Mrs. Weasley." Archer said.
" Oh it's nothing dear." Molly Weasley said using the spoon to collect some soup and held it up.
" Oh Mrs. Weasley, there is no need to feed me. I can still lift a spoon, I just can't walk." Archer insisted.
" Alright dear, you tea will have to wait, I have taken up the stove space." Molly said patting Archer's cheek.
" I don't mind Mrs. Weasley, whatever is easiest for you." Archer said.
Molly gave a happy smile at Snape.
" You have the most polite daughter Severus, I'm glad she and my son are together." Molly spoke to Snape.
Severus didn't return the comment, except with a nod and a simple thank you, there wasn't very many nice things he could say about George Weasley.
" This soup is amazing, the best thing I've had in years! God and it seems like the best thing that could happen right now, food that won't make me grow parasites!" Archer spoke as she wolfed down the soup.
" You have parasites?" Snape asked his daughter concerned.
" Yes, I've had to eat the nastiest stuff, from animals I've hunted, and eating their raw meat, to dumpsters."
Snape didn't say anything, he couldn't.
Archer finished her soup.
" Okay, I need to try this." Archer muttered to herself, soon trying to stand up. She was up on her two feet, her legs wobbled, but Archer was determined to take a step.
" Archer, lay back down, you need rest!" Snape shouted. Archer ignored him and took a step forwards, only to make herself fall down. She picked herself back up and crawled back on her hands and knees to the sofa and struggled to get on it, but managed.
Archer was angry with herself, she could hear the words of Cyprus Dolohov while he was torturing her.
" Your weak, stupid! Your screaming like a helpless baby on the floor, you might as well just be useless without your wand! Daddy and Dumbledore aren't going to always be there to save you!"
Archer when she had that flashback gripped her wand in her pocket, Cyprus was correct. She was weak, weaker right now than ever.
Snape noticed the glint of fear in his daughter's eyes.
" Archer, is there something wrong?" He asked. Archer turned and gasped, te sound of a pin dropping would scare her after the flashback.
" I'm fine dad, you should go get some rest, I'll be fine here." Archer stuttered.
" It's not even past dinnertime." Snape spoke to his daughter.
" Oh. Alright." Archer said. She then got a good idea in her head. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and sat up straight. She cast a silent spell on the couch to make it a wheelchair. She then used her arms drive the wheelchair.
" This is brilliant!" Archer spoke, being happy that she didn't have to be stuck in one place. Soon gesturing her father to follow her as she steered herself out of the room.
She then looked inside every room of the house until she found everyone in the dining room having dinner. She smiled when she saw all of their faces light up.
" Archer!" Hermione shouted and ran to Archer.
" Hello Hermione, how's your summer?" Archer asked.
" Better than yours I hear, Molly told everyone here about your summer, for Merlin's sakes you've got to be exhausted!" Hermione answered.
" I'm tired alright, but that's not going to stop me from meeting everyone, and reuniting with everyone I know." Archer spoke.
It was then Fred and George apparated into the dining room to see Archer, the heard her story, but they didn't see her since Mrs. Weasley forbade them to try and see Archer.
" Archer?" George asked, dropping his wand in shock, than running to his girlfriend's wheelchair and kneeling down.
" George, I've missed you so much." Archer said, blushing as George kissed her tenderly, not wanting to add another bruise on her face.
" Archer, I'm so sorry what happened this summer, don't worry, we'll make you welcome here, I promise." George almost begged.
" No need to change anything, you mother and my father have been taking good care of me, soon enough I will be able to walk again. Don't worry about that." Archer said with a laugh.
" So you are Archer Donnavera Lestrange Snape." A man with elbow length hair and youthful grey eyes spoke. Archer smiled at him.
" Yes, I don't recon I know you." Archer spoke. The man laughed and walked up to Archer and shook her hand.
" Sirius Black, I'm sure your parents have told much about me, especially your father. I am so happy to meet you. You look nothing like your parents, you have Narcissa's hair, but darker, your eyes are a mystery though, there aren't many people your related to who have your eyes, not a person in the Black family has had blue eyes, well probably ever. Your father's side I am not so sure about, he would have to tell you." Sirius spoke.
" I've always wanted to meet you, I saw you one day at Hogwarts, I tried to talk to you but you were gone just like that." Archer said.
" Well I saw you as a baby, I only got a glance until killing curses flew my way from your psychopath of a mother but I saw you at least." Sirius replied.
" Wait Sirius, so this is the Archer that we've been worrying about all summer?." A man with sandy hair, and scars on his face asked, as he moved next to Sirius. " Ah, yes of course. Remus Lupin, I certainly already know you Archer." Lupin spoke, shaking Archer's hand.
" Great to meet you." Archer simply replied. She then noticed her father's spiteful glare towards Sirius and Remus, and Archer didn't like it. She certainly knew of Sirius and Lupin, she heard her father curse Sirius under his breath whenever he saw anything that reminded him of Sirius.
" Dinner's ready!" Molly shouted from the kitchen. Archer was happy to hear that, she steered herself back her the living room and took her empty soup bowl and returned to the kitchen for a nice, piping hot bowl of chicken soup.