The Other Side
Chapter 1
This will be the best Christmas ever, Harry thought as he, Hermione, and the many Weasleys jumped off the Hogwarts express at Kings Cross station. A whole vacation with the Weasleys, Professor Lupin, and Sirius at Headquarters. He felt unbelievably light, and even more so when he saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupid, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley waiting for them.
Mrs. Weasley ran up and hugged her children, Hermione, and Harry. He went slightly red. Ginny giggled at him. Mr. Weasley and Lupin shook everyone's hands, and so, after several greetings, they were off to see Sirius. It was all Harry could think about.
After a hyper car ride, they stopped outside the hidden Grimwauld Place. When they reached the steps a door, and the entire house, appeared out of nowhere. They heard a bolt scrape on its metal case, and the door opened. Ron's brother Charlie stood there smiling at them. He stepped back and let all twelve of them in.
As people cleared to run up the stairs, Harry headed down to the kitchen.
"Sirius," he said.
From the kitchen table came his godfather, clean-shaven and dressed in casual robes.
"My boy," Sirius said with a crooked smile.
Harry grinned and embraced his godfather. It was so safe in his arms. Not many people had ever hugged him.
Not long after, Ron and Harry were all set in their room with Hedwig and Pigwideon on the dresser, hooting at each other. Fred and George were in the room above them, and Ginny and Hermione were in the room below them.
"Dinner!" Lupin yelled up the stairs.
Seconds later the sound of elephants tromping down the stairs shook the house. All the children and Charlie and Bill, who Harry had not known was there, flooded into the kitchen. The table was fit to bursting. Not one more person could fit. The talk was loud and exuberant while hey ate until Lupin had to ask:
"Harry, how are you Occlumecy lessons with Snape going?"
Harry exhaled exasperatedly and told him, "Not good. The whole thing is so stupid. If this is so important why doesn't Dumbledore teach me then? He'd definitely be better than Snape."
"Professor Snape," Lupin corrected, "Dumbledore has his reasons."
"I'm not learning anything! All he does is make me angry."
"Don't listen to him," said Sirius casually, "Snivellus was never worth listening to anyway."
Lupin cleared his throat with a sharp look at Sirius. Harry smiled slightly but then turned to Sirius and continued, "You can't honestly tell me that if he told you my dad was good for nothing and stuck up, you wouldn't do anything."
Sirius looked at Harry with anger flaring in his eyes.
"That GIT!" the man yelled, "Where does he get off telling you that?"
"Sirius," Mr. Weasley said warningly.
"Snape will not get away with it!"
"It doesn't matter," said Lupin loudly, "Remember the things James would say about him. The feelings were mutual, Sirius, and Harry is smart enough not to take him seriously."
An awkward silence crept through the room. A glass shatter on the floor. Several people jumped, and everyone looked over at Tonks.
"Sorry, I'll clean it up," she said apologetically.
Christmas Eve came. Harry and Ron were up in their room playing wizard chess when Mrs. Weasley stuck her head in.
"Harry, dear, Professor Snape is here to see you."
"What?" both boys shot at her.
She said, "He's in the kitchen."
Exchanging a look of fear and bewilderment, they rose and walked out the door. At one point on the steps Harry noticed Ron was no longer behind him; he was all alone. Swallowing hard, he walked into the kitchen.
Snape and Sirius sat across from each other near the end of the table. Sirius looked over at Harry with an I'm-sorry-to-do-this-to-you sort of look. Snape didn't even look up from the cup of tea Harry was ready to bet Mrs. Weasley insist he have. Instead he stared moodily into it, refusing to acknowledge Harry's presence. Sirius pulled out a chair beside him, so Harry sat, his eyes flitting over Snape as though he were afraid his eyes would burn if he stared too long. Finally the Potions Mater looked up.
He said, "The Headmaster wishes me to increase your Occlumency lessons since you are not improving—and probably won't."
His eyes glittered at insulting Harry, but Harry was too appalled to notice.
"Why?" he demanded, "I barely kept up last semester with class, Quidditch, and these stupid lessons!"
"These lessons are not stupid, Potter," Snape snarled, "They are an attempt to arm your feeble mind."
Sirius broke in, "And not special time to insult Harry or James."
"It does not take time set aside to insult them," said Snape coolly.
Sirius took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm himself, and said forcefully, "Saying James was good-for-nothing was not appropriate."
"Nor was it a lie," Snape spat.
A false smile spread Harry's godfather's face as he said, "He sure was good for kicking your ass, Sinvelus."
Harry saw a muscle twitch in Snape's jaw, but no one said anything.
"Another thing," Sirius continued (Harry gulped), "He was also good for making Harry. Without James or Lily he wouldn't be here."
As soon as Sirius said "making Harry," Snape rose from his chair. He didn't bring the tea to the sink or even push the chair in. Instead of whipping out his wand like Harry expected, Snape headed to the other door, Sirius with a smug look on his face. Snape stopped suddenly. He closed his eyes and gripped the side of the door as though he suddenly were dizzy. He squinted and blinked, then swung open the door and left.
With a bit of a quizzical look, Harry left his satisfied god-father and made his way up the steps to find Ron, Ginny, the twins, and Hermione with extendable ears on the first landing.
"They really hate each other," Ron stated.
"That can't be just a childhood grudge, can it?" Hermione asked
Ron told her, "'Course it can! Can you imagine Harry and Malfoy being chummy in ten years?"
"I think Snape's sick," Harry told them.
"Good," said Fred.
"I hope it makes him miserable," George added.
That night Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ushered all of the kids to bed with warm, full bellies. Harry put extra Occlumency lessons from his mind for now. He just wanted to enjoy Christmas.
Harry was awoken Christmas morning to Ron throwing pillows back at him from his bed. Harry looked over.
"Presents!" Ron exclaimed.
Harry smiled and sat up, snatching for his glasses on the table next to him. When the world was in focus, he saw a pile of wrapped packages at the foot of his own bed. Wasting no time, he tore the paper off them all. Amidst the scraps of defeated paper lay three book volumes of Darian Devious' Defense from Lupin and Sirius, Chudly Cannons badge and hat from Ron, and a box of Honeydukes candies from Hermione. Even better than them all was the face that popped in the door.
"I thought I hear a noise," Sirius said with a smile, inviting himself in, "The others are all downstairs all ready. Molly is insisting you two be there before breakfast is served."
The boys grabbed their clothes and dashed out of the room and down to the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a hug that may have bruised his ribs. As he sat down he heard Ron struggling with his mother. It brought a smile to Harry's face.
He sat beside Ron and Sirius across from Hermione and Ginny, Fred and George. The conversations were light: Mrs. Weasley again tried to get Bill to cut his hair, Fred and George and Lupin discussed venom of various creatures, the four girls were giggling a lot, and Harry, Ron, and Sirius talked about odd spells that did even odder things. It was perfect.
Someone knocked on the door. A couple people stopped to watch, but most ignored it until Mr. Weasley got up to answer. Slowly a silence fell over the table as people noticed the concerned look on Mr. Weasley's face. He stepped aside and extended a helpful hand that wasn't taken.
Crossing the threshold and stumbling slightly, Snape squinted at the table.
"Where's Dumbledore?" he asked with a bit of a slur.
"He's not here," Lupin said standing, "Should we gather everyone?"
Snape shook his head.
"What's wrong?" asked Lupin genuinely, making his way over to the other man, "Is it Voldemort?"
"I don' think soo," replied Snape, his speech getting worse.
He stumbled back slightly. Mr. Weasley and Lupin lunged forward to catch him. Bill and Charlie ran over, as well as Tonks and Mrs. Weasley. Even Sirius looked concerned...a little.
Lupin's strong voice directed at Snape as they lowered him to the floor, "What is this? What's going on?"
Snape didn't answer.
"What should we tell Dumbledore?" Lupin asked.
The name seemed to register, and Snape mumbled, "Some-someone is in my...my mind."
After a shocked moment when everyone exchanged looks of disbelief, Lupin continued, "Severus, Severus, look at me."
Snape shook his head, his eyes slowly closing.
"Do you know who, Severus?"
Again he shook his head.
The flames in the fireplace suddenly roared, but they didn't turn green.
"Harry, move! Girls, get by Snape!" Sirius barked at them, taking Harry by the elbow and thrusting him away from the grate.
"No," Hermione said, moving towards the flames that were now curling and molding themselves into a flat sheet of flame between the brick sides, "There's pictures."
Snape, gripping his head tightly, let out a painful sob that nearly knocked everyone off their feet. He had his hands pressed tight to his temples with his face crunched and contorted with agony.
He gasped.
The fire flames turned black for a second then a pair of slender hands faded into a fuzzy view. A soft, hesitant voice filled with sorrow seeped through the air.
"I know you don't know who I am, but please stop fighting me. I promise I won't hurt you. Whatever secrets you have I will keep."
The voice was obviously female. Snape was still crouched against the wall, his eyes shut as tight as possible, but his body seemed to relax a little, like he was allowing her the small access to his mind as she requested. The picture became a little clearer. The hands became more defined. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, Sirius, and the children were all drifting toward the fire.
The voice continued, "I know you won't understand and you will want proof. I have it, I swear. Everything I will tell you was told to me by my mother, or written. I have only letters from her. She told me to wait until I was older to contact you... to contact my father."
The room glanced around and then at Snape, who had not changed.
"My mother's name was... was Lily."
Harry paused and glanced at Sirius, who had turned to look at Snape. The crouched man was visibly trying to relax himself with difficulty, his eyelids smoothing out. The fire picture got sharper still, a pattern of scars on the pale hands, and the rest of the girl became more visible.
"Thank you," she whispered, though the mouth on the face in the fire didn't move.
She looked to be in a dungeon or basement. Through the darkness and inquiring scars that streaked her face, her green eyes showed brightly framed by ratty, clumpy brown hair.
She continued to explain, "She wouldn't write her last name in the paper or anything else about her. All the letter said was that she couldn't keep me, and you couldn't know because it would put both of us in danger. I think I'm around sixteen; she wrote my birthday, but I don't know the date of today. My name-she said she gave me a name you liked when you were kids and that she gave me your name so it would be easier for me to find you when the time came when I was in the Wizarding World. My name is Erica Rain Snape... If—if you don't like it you can change it." She suddenly looked frightened, and two tears leaked from her emerald eyes. "I know you probably hate me, but please...please get me out of here. I swear I'll never talk to you again. You'll never see me... I've never begged for anything, but now I am, please, please, help me. I—I don't want to be hit anymore, or—or have sex with them! They hurt so much. I haven't... haven't eaten in so long..." Her face was shinning in the mild light glowing over her. "Please, please, come get me! Mom said you would. She said you would protect me and not let anything bad things happen to me! She promised you would love me."
Erica's breathing was rapid. Snape shifted behind them, and she gasped, her head jerking upwards.
Hermione gasped too and said, "He's talking to her through their mind link."
Erica sniffled and whipped her face with the backs of her hands. Large, deep gashes were gouged into her wrists. She seemed to look at them and spoke at though she had been asked.
"I accidentally used magic once. I shattered the metal on the handcuffs, so now he uses rope. It hurts a lot more. I can do weird things with my brain. I can make people do things because I'm inside them... I'm unconscious right now. I like it that way. Nothing hurts, and I can try to talk to you. You are guarded even when you sleep. I don't know how I got through to you now."
She paused for a minute and picked at her raw finger tips as Snape's breath hitched.
"He's coming later... and bringing friends.
She paused again.
There was a park I walked to wen I was little-."
Her breath caught in her throat, and the picture began to fade.
"Someone is waking me," she whispered, a look of uttermost terror on her face, "I can't keep the connection... No, don't, you'll be disgusted, and you won't talk to me."
Harry saw Snape's body tense, the girl, Erica, covered her face, and the picture faded completely. After a moment of staring at the picture, the room turned to Snape, who had his face hidden in his hands and tucked against his knees. With the jagged motion of his back and shoulders, Harry could have sworn Severus Snape was crying.