So as you might have guessed I am a huge HP fan, I'm stating here and now for the first and final time *I do NOT own any of the HP potter characters but I do own my OC's. Draco Is a little nicer in this story considering I like him quite a lot *Fan girl sigh* It is currently not romance but If the fates have it in-store then it must be...Please enjoy. R&R
Loriel
xoxox
"It's nearly midnight Albus. I would much rather be in my rooms unwrapping gifts." Professor Snape's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"I know Severus but this is a matter of utmost urgency. I have someone I need you to look after for me."
Brilliant another charge that this old fool wants me to waste my time babysitting
Albus stood up from where he was sitting and motioned for Severus to follow him. He lead the potions master to a small portrait of a raven which was idly preening its inky black feathers.
"Sea monkeys" Albus whispered and the painting swung open revealing a small hole. He peered into it and sighed. Placing a silencing charm around the room he reached in and grabbed onto something, instantly an unearthly screeching erupted from the hole. Albus grunted and dragged a messy brown object from the hole. It wriggled and snarled a tail swishing back and forth.
"What is that?" Snape droned, eyeing the creature with distaste.
"This is your new charge." He gently put the struggling thing down on the ground where it struggled to right itself. When it finally struggled to its feet the creature barely made three feet. Its tail had disappeared and now Snape could really see it for what it was, a girl.
She had pale skin with an adornment of freckles scattered across her cheeks and nose with immensely large emerald eyes. She wore nothing but a brown sac similar to those that were worn by house elves. Her hair reached the small of her back and was a wavy mane of fire.
"Who is she?" Snape snarled, unaware of how large and scary he must look to the tiny child who almost instantly burst into tears.
"That is what I was hoping to find out." He pulled out a small brown paper bag from his pocket and opened it "Lemon drop?" Snape shook his head and Dumbledore passed the bag to the crying girl who took it and emptied the contents onto the floor. She stopped crying but sniffled quietly sitting down and proceeded to sort the golden candy.
"You mean for me to use occulemency on this girl?" Snape hissed, trying to avoid scaring her.
"Perhaps," Albus started before being interrupted.
"No, I will not use it. You have asked so much of me Albus. I won't use it on her." Severus snarled looking down at the ancient man.
"Fine, fine she's your charge so you need to look after her. She is to attend classes with the students." Dumbledore walked away leaving the small girl at Snape's feet pondering which piece of candy to eat first.
"Come on then." Severus started to walk away motioning for the girl to follow him. She shook her head violently and ran to hide in Dumbledore's unlit fireplace. Snape sighed and jumped in after her using the castles floo network to take them to his office. She squealed and went tearing out of the fireplace and hid behind his leather chair as soon as the green fire disappeared.
"Ok Sit in that chair, I don't really have time for this so let's get it over quick." She shook her head.
"Ugh, must I do everything myself?" He pulled out his wand and levitated the screeching child onto the chair. She eventually settled down and sat there with her head bent over looking at her pale hands.
"What is your name?" Severus drawled impatience taking the dominant position in his mind. The small girl whose feet didn't even touch the floor looked down at her lap and she fiddled with the messy hem of her 'gown'.
"Look its Christmas eve and even I admit I wish to be celebrating it." He droned "Now hurry up and tell me you name."
SLAM!
The tiny girl screamed and jumped off the giant chair and crawled underneath Snape's potion desk. Filch walked in dragging the Malfoy boy by the collar roughly depositing him in the chair the girl had previously been occupying.
"Found this one lurking outside the door." Filch smirked eyeing the fourth year with an obvious disliking.
"Pray tell, Mr Malfoy what in the world were you doing down here, outside my door on Christmas Eve when you should be out frolicking with your friends." Every word dripped with sarcasm.
"I was curious sir. I heard yelling and screaming coming from your office and I wanted to see what was going on." Draco began to look around the room for the source of the noise, and spotted it under the bench curled in a foetal position whimpering. He jumped of the seat which looked much more normal when he was sitting in it and bent down his head partially under the table.
"Hey there, want some candy?" He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small red and white candy cane. The timid girl uncurled herself and looked up at him, he was easily twice her size and her big green eyes began to fill with tears.
Filch went to grab Draco but Snape ordered him out silently. The scrawny caretaker left mumbling to himself about good ole' days and thumbs. Now only Draco, the nameless girl and Himself were left in the room. Draco backed up a little still with an outreached hand brandishing the sticky holiday candy. Ever so slowly the young girl reached out with delicate fingers and took it, inspecting it carefully before sticking it in her small, delicate mouth.
The Malfoy boy backed up all the way until her stood crouched next to Snape's desk.
"So, where did she come from?" He whispered.
"Don't know, Dumbledore brought her to me without a word and dumped her here in my office."
"How old is she? Doesn't look much older than five or six." Draco sat down and looked at the girl who was now sitting up, half under the table.
"I'll run some spells on her, should be able to find out. Won't speak when asked questions."
Snape deftly flicked his wand and a scroll and quill appeared beside him writing down everything that the spell would be able to detect about the frail child. When it finished Snape took the parchment and read it over,
"This can't be right." He cast the spell again and the same results.
Name: Unknown
Age: 14 ½
Nationality: Unknown
Blood type: Witch, ½ nymph
Height: 3'2
Weight: 35 pounds
He passed the scroll to Draco whose eyes became as large as saucers.
"This means she's almost the same age as me!" He rubbed his temple. "What does it mean when it says that she is half nymph?"
"It means that either her mother or her father was a fairy or nymph. It doesn't really matter. But that would explain her size."
"Well she needs a name." Draco said. "How 'bout Bella? Yea that sounds perfect."
"Draco, you can't go around giving people names." Snape put his head in his hands.
"Well that's what I'll call her until she picks one for herself. Bella, come here a sec I wanna show you something." He put on a slightly babyish voice and held out his hand. Snape's eyes grew in amazement as the tiny child who was not so young slowly made her way over to Draco and took his hand in her own instantly dwarfing her.
He pulled out his wand and waved it a bit and mumbled the incantation to create a patronus charm. A wispy blue smoke appeared and a liquid blue eagle flew out of the end of the wand circling in the air. Bella reached up trying to catch it. No sooner had it appeared, the eagle disappeared.
The tiny girl yawned and sat down next to Draco, curling into a little ball and placing her head in his lap. She closed her eyes and began to snore softly, her fiery hair falling around her like a giant flaming blanket.
"So what are we going to do with her?" Draco whispered.
"Well she seems to have warmed up to you." Snape said thoughtfully.
"Can I look after her?" Draco brushed the hair out of the girls pale face and looked down at her.
"She may not be entirely human but that doesn't mean you treat like some sort of pet." The professor hissed.
"But what if she doesn't have a family? What if she's all alone? I can look after her honestly. I can teach her magic and stuff." Draco pulled the Nymphling into his lap and put his arms around her protectively.
"I'll have to talk to Dumbledore now off to bed with you, leave her here." Draco looked defiantly up at Snape before looking for a new place to leave Bella. He eventually deposited her gently on the leather couch by the fire. As he turned to leave a delicate hand grabbed his cloak and an almost silent whimper inked its way into both Snape and Draco's ears.
"poculum ad stragulum" Snape flicked his wand at a beaker and it transformed into a blanket.
"You can stay the night but be warned Draco Malfoy, If anyone hears of this hospitality than you and anyone you tell will be serving detention with me until next summer." Severus spat. Draco pulled Bella into his lap and both of them fell asleep in front of the crackling fire.
'You've gone soft Severus.' His inner voice whispered.
So I felt the need to get this out, not sure If I will continue it. So far it's a little rough but I look forward to your reviews and opinions.
Loriel
P.S
Please tell me whether or not you wish for me to continue.