Revival
Chapter 1
Little Lily
Trailing behind her master, Lilium Prozec carefully held what ingredient he had made her carry. They must be rare, as any time that he brought her with him was likely to be a long search for some rare object that she was likely to be used as stress relief. Her gaze was on the ground. As she held the precious mandrake root, she was firm, but not rough. Being too rough would result in the ingredient being useless, but being too gentle would result in her dropping or losing it…Not to mention that there were many thieves in the streets of Knockturn Alley. She didn't want another punishment. They were horrible for her.
"PROZEC!" she heard him yell. She flinched. Her eyes rose from the ground and she looked up at him. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"
"I-I'm sorry, Master, bit I don't know what " The sound of a slap hard on her cheek echoed in the alleyway. She looked down to see the mandrake root she had been holding had small indents from where the memories of her past punishments had made her grip the root too tightly. She knew her master was not pleased with this development, and he would likely have to return to the previous apothecary to retrieve a second expensive root. The mandrake roots specifically cost a lot of money now after they were outlawed due to a Muggle despot gaining one and using it for luck in his war.
"Now we have to go all the way back and pick up another fucking root! What the fuck were you thinking? Knockturn Alley is expensive enough without the fucking smuggling costs!" His wand was out in seconds, and he yelled angrily, "CRUCIO!"
An unimaginable pain covered her body, worming its way to and through her bones. She couldn't breathe, and therefore couldn't scream as her body convulsed. To further her master's anger, the mandrake root dropped from her grip into a muddy puddle. Where only pieces were previously unusable, it was now worse. The entire root had to be bought again. However, this didn't register. How long had passed? An hour? A minute? A second? She couldn't tell anymore.
"Expelliarmus," a cold, calm voice said. The pain was gone, and Lilium could only gasp for her breath a bit loudly. She hated the loud volume she had, but she couldn't think about it. Her body quivered, trying to get itself functioning again. It wasn't the first time someone had used a Cruciatus curse on her, but it wasn't something easily dealt with after years either. Sure, she had improved against it by a few seconds, but that was it.
"Mister Whitley, I will ask you to leave her be and I would say that you are undeserving of an apprentice of her caliber," the voice which was oddly familiar said, still cold and calm as it had been when disarming her master. She heard her master pleading against him. "Leave, I said," the voice repeated. Without much of a struggle, heavy footsteps hit the pavement, and she assumed correctly that it was her master running away from whoever had saved her. She heard lighter footsteps approach her, she assumed cautiously. Her eyes opened slowly and the blurry vision that came with the watering of her eyes under the Cruciatus curse made her unable to see properly. All she could see was a shadow in front of her.
Whoever it was, pulled her up so she was sitting. A vial was put to her lips. "This is an invigoration draught. It should help you to recover," that voice said, and Lilium felt that she had to obey. As she tasted it, she analyzed it. It tasted about what a draught should taste like, but she wasn't entirely sure what its affects were or if it was poisoned. Not that she wouldn't welcome the poisoning. She really didn't mind dying and getting away from this suffering she had in life. She moved her hands up, rubbing at her eyes to try and see more clearly. She looked at what had once been a shadow and blinked. The face was familiar to her, but she could have sworn that it was the face of a dead man…Well, someone that she remembered dying. She wasn't sure who. Lank black hair hung in his face and he stared at her with mesmerizing eyes that were dark. She couldn't pinpoint a color to them, but they certainly stuck out against his pale skin while they matched his dark robes. He used a strong hand to help her up.
"I need to take you somewhere. Hold my hand," he said, coaxing her into obeying him. She frowned unsurely until a hand placed itself on her shoulder. She flinched away, but the hand didn't move from her shoulder. She took his hand, much like a child took their father's, and whoever had been holding on to her shoulder also put a hand on the man's. Without really looking, she noted that it was a woman trying to comfort her as the man took out his wand. It was a strange disorientation that came with Apparation. It was rather scary for her at times, Apparating with her master. But this was different. This side-along Apparation was very secure. He must be powerful, she assumed. Her master wasn't very powerful, especially if placed against other wizards.
They stopped in front of large gates, and Lilium recognized the emblem when she could focus. It was Hogwarts. She looked at the man and was able to pinpoint his familiarity. He looked a lot like a teacher she had for a couple of years. Her first year, he was potions. Second, he was Defense Against the Dark Arts…And then he was headmaster of the school that was the worst year she had in her third year. He had been head of the Slytherin house, the house she was a part of, though she didn't know why. She was a "Mudblood," not that she would announce that fact to her housemates. They attacked and jinxed her for not being proud of the house. No, she couldn't be proud of such a house. She returned to her previous train of thought. "S-Severus Snape?" she asked quietly, nervous of being in his presence. He nodded, approaching her again. She pressed back against the bars of the gate, scared of him. She knew him to be a very cruel man.
At this moment, he was pulling something from his pocket. "One day, Lilium, you will understand. However, today is not that day." He was organizing a gold chain, doubling it so it wouldn't be so long. His hand was covering whatever hung on it. He slipped it around her neck, despite her shrinking to try to get away from him. "Turn it counter-clockwise twenty times, no more and no less. When you stop, you will go inside and ask to see Severus Snape. When you see him, ask him to take you as an apprentice," the potions master said quickly, revealing the Time Turner to her as he let it go and stepped back from her, more towards the woman who had accompanied them and had remained silent to this point. Lilium looked down at it with confusion, and he smirked at her. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, the tenderness reminding her of the healing kiss of a father. "You'll understand one day," he repeated.
Finally, Lilium looked at the woman who had been with him. She had somewhat familiar features. Blue eyes that were only different because they were bright and alive, hair that was neat and glossy black, casual Muggle clothing for the shopping they had been doing, or so it seemed. It hit Lilium that this woman looked a lot like her, just older and…Happier. This man, Severus Snape…Why did he not just take her as his apprentice now? It was so confusing…
"Turn it," the potions master said softly, trying to coax her into it. Lilium looked down at the device unsurely and then at the woman who looked so much like her. She couldn't imagine a life worse than the one Severus Snape and this woman seemed to be trying to save her from, so at the nod from the woman, she took a deep breath to calm the trembling in her fingers and turned the time turner's hourglass. In seconds, she was gone.
Severus Snape looked at the woman who had accompanied him on his rare shopping for his potion shop. It was an odd streak of luck that today was the day they had been waiting for. The woman he had grown close to smiled, her arms slipping around his neck. "It looks like it's set in motion again," she offered sweetly.
"You never told me that Whitley had struck you and that was the cause of that bruise," Severus said bluntly. The woman giggled at him, kissing his cheek with a sickly sweet smile. He wrapped an arm around her waist and scoffed, raising his want to Apparate back to his house their home on top of his shop. She had wanted to redecorate for most of today, after all…
X
Lilium found herself outside of Hogwarts, and she looked around for Severus and the woman. They were nowhere to be found. She wasn't surprised. She knew the effects of a time turner, and assumed that she had gone rather far back into the past with twenty turns. She tucked it into her blouse, closing her robes over the dirty clothes despite the heat of the season. It was nearing the end of summer, so it wasn't as hot as it could have been. It seemed to be morning.
Her thoughts turned to the mysterious happenings of the past few minutes. Why should she trust them? Severus Snape. He had been her teacher and headmaster at Hogwarts for the first few years. Why would she have to ask him to take her in as his apprentice? That was an odd request to make, she was sure. Wasn't he dead? Why was he in her time? It had been ten years since the war, and Severus should have been dead for that long! This was weird…She sighed to herself, slipping past the gates and determining that despite the odd occurrence she would listen to the suggestion and try to be his apprentice. She was sure he would be disagreeable. He always was to anything, even a suggestion from a Slytherin. Don't give up? Fine, she wouldn't.
On her way to the doors, her body ached the more she walked. To make things worse, the sun beating down on her cheek made it radiate heat, and not a comfortable heat. It was nearly throbbing with the aftershock of pain. As she entered the large foyer of the school, she breathed in deeply. It was so…Similar. It hadn't changed. As she ventured in further, she saw the rotating staircases, the large doors to the Great Hall…And the entry to the dungeons.
Finally, she was stopped by Filch. Squib. Cranky old man. She remembered him, but he didn't look quite as old, and Mrs. Norris wasn't quite as gray. The old man scowled at her. "What're you doin' here?" he asked rudely. Lilium cowered from him a bit.
"I-I need to talk to P-Professor S-S-Snape…" Lilium replied, voice barely above a whisper. Thankfully, Filch heard. He grumbled and continued on his way to the grounds. Lilium watched him for a moment and jumped as Mrs. Norris yowled at her before continuing to follow him. She shuddered for a moment as she faced the dark dungeons and slowly made her way down. She didn't want to face him. He was scary. She was getting more anxious the further she got. The last time she had been down here was…Probably five years ago, during her last year. Then she was apprentice to Barnaby Whitley.
The man had been abusive, but she was now afraid of seeing the cruel dungeon bat again. She swallowed as she reached the door to his classroom. Slowly, she knocked. She couldn't hear anything, so she wasn't sure if he was even awake. She never knew him to sleep in, but she had never seen him during a time that she didn't have to. This made her thoughts on the matter invalid. Either way, the door slammed open and there stood Severus Snape as she cowered away from the doorway, shocked by the loud entrance. His dark eyes glared at her, trying to see through her soul or kill her with a simple look. She could smell the burning of different woods and was sure that he was making potions for the Hospital Wing. She had always suspected that he was the one in charge of that.
"What do you want?" Severus asked point-blank. No hello, no wasting words. Not that she expected it.
"I-I…" Lilium fidgeted under his gaze, unable to really think about what she was originally going to say. She could tell he was already annoyed with her hesitation in whatever business she came to state. She never had done overly well under the pressure of his gaze.
"You what?" His tone wasn't much help either, but it snapped her back to reality.
"I-I wanted…To request…That you…Erm…" She stopped, thinking over the wording as Severus arched an eyebrow. He was still impatient. Her gaze fell to her feet. "Please…Accept me as…Y-your apprentice…" She was stumbling along a request, and that was a bad thing. She certainly didn't seem anything more than a "pretty face" to most, but she had been raised by potions masters and she was very good at making and analyzing them. She hadn't been able to exercise her abilities for a while, but that would hopefully change soon.
"Let's just say that I was considering it. Why would I choose a dunderhead who can't create a sentence, let alone a proper potion?" Severus replied dryly, eyes half-lidded with a lack of humor.
"I-I am willing t-t-to learn…"
"As is almost everyone who requests my assistance. I shall have to say 'no.'"
"P-please at least g-give…Me a chance to prove…Something…" Lilium said, still squirming under his piercing gaze. He studied her for a moment more before stepping back and slamming the door in his face. Sighing, Lilium left Hogwarts to spend the night in the Forbidden Forest, despite the danger.
X
The next week had been continuing similarly. Every day, she returned and asked the question, he words coming out to him easier and easier each time she asked for his guidance. Every day, the door slammed in her face, despite her polite pleas. Finally, she was starting to get tired of it, but she refused to give up. She sighed, standing outside the door for a moment, knocking. The door slammed open, and she recoiled, but nowhere near as much as the first day. Severus arched an eyebrow at her persistence, waiting for her to speak.
"Professor Snape, I would like to request that you accept me under your tutelage in the subject of potions as an apprentice," she said, certainly a lot less nervous than she had been that first day. She blinked as a smirk twisted his lips up in a rather frightening manner.
"You've finally gained enough confidence to ask," he said. "If you intend to be my assistant, you will do whatever I say. If I tell you to snap your wand, you won't argue. Understand?" Lilium was nervous again, and she nodded. The potions master's lips twitched a bit up. He was a bit more amused, she thought. "Come in," he said, stepping back but not slamming the door shut. Slowly, Lilium followed him into the cold, damp room she once knew. She swallowed hard as Severus spun around and stared at her. Lilium waited for him to speak, but it seemed obvious he wouldn't.
"Umm…How may I learn first?" she asked meekly. He nodded once, as that was the reply he had been looking for.
"You will analyze what stage each of these potions to find what they are and how you will complete them. This is all your project. So complete it." Lilium's mind jumped at this thought, and rusty yet functioning gears started to turn. She went around to the potions, analyzing what stages they were all in. One or two were done but needed to simmer or they would burn and the effects would be nullified, and then another few had almost the whole process. There were several that needed one more. It seemed that, indeed, he stocked the Hospital Wing during the year.
As Lilium worked, Severus leaned back against a desk, half sitting on it. His arms folded over his chest as he concentrated on how she moved, how comfortable she was with this aspect of magic. She was doing everything properly, taking the proper time to move between them without seeming stressed over watching several cauldrons. Good.
It took maybe an hour before Lilium adjusted the heat of the cauldron to let the potions simmer overnight, as was supposed to be done with some of them. The others, she bottled and labeled. Finally, she had a case of complete potions and the others were to be bottled in the morning. She realized he had been watching her the whole time and blushed, looking down at the ground with a bit of shame. She hadn't bothered to confirm they were to be properly contained in the vials…But he seemed content as he walked over to her.
"Why is there a bruise on your cheek? It needs to be cared for…You broke the skin," Severus said bluntly, not having wanted to disrupt her work and focus. Lilium gingerly touched her cheek, having forgotten.
"I-I ran into the corner of the wall…On my way to the dungeons," she murmured softly. It was a lie, but this was what she did under Whitley. Otherwise his punishments would be worse. She was afraid of telling anyone about her master's crimes against her still. He could still come and attack her.
She wondered at Severus being concerned about something like that. She thought about the scenery outside. No, it showed no signs of the battle, and there was no memorial where Dumbledore's coffin had been. This was before the war, maybe far before it. If so, it could be one of his first years, when the Death Eaters weren't so cruel to him. She had heard tales of the things Severus had suffered.
"Right. Blood is not a normal ingredient well, human blood at least and we will not need yours any time soon," he purred at her in his silky voice. Lilium felt a foreign shudder erupt down her spine, and she saw him smirk as he left the classroom to somewhere further back. She analyzed the classroom. She knew of his lab, but it was a bit small, so to get multiple things done at once, he needed to move out into the classroom.
Lying. It was something that Lilium detested, but what could she do? She had never been permitted to admit what her master did to her, as his punishments would get worse. This was the warning. It was also because no one cared about her…So why would she consider it more than a waste of time? Once she had told a stranger of her problem. The stranger was killed immediately, and she was punished. Worse than ever before. A shudder of plain fear broke out over her body. She was thankful that Severus was gone.
As he returned, she felt bad about the lie, but she knew she couldn't tell him anything. He uncorked a vial, tipping it and putting a finger on the rim to catch a few drops. "This is a powerful healing draught. It should completely heal the cuts and bruise," he said. He wondered what had caused it and attempted to use the legilimens technique. He saw rather useless things, and couldn't pry further. "You know occlumency?"
"Yes," Lilium said in a whisper. "As an apprentice, I thought it was good to learn so other masters couldn't steal any research from my thoughts and so you could work in privacy without fear of ideas being stolen." She managed to form a clear sentence, which was something she should be congratulated on. Not that her master was one for praise. Nonetheless, he was rather impressed.
"Very well. You have a modicum of intelligence to consider that. Most masters don't, let alone the apprentices." If he had to be honest which he never did he would have admitted that he hadn't thought of it either. "There may be only one or two apprentices who know occlumency…Including you. Though the other masters are mostly proficient." He used a slightly calloused hand to take her chin, tilting her head to see her cheek and watch it heal when he managed to get the draught on the cuts. He didn't miss how she flinched from his touch. How frightened she was of being near a person…Or maybe it was just him that she feared. Either way, he knew he would have to work on that.
Finally, Severus gingerly spread the draught onto her cheek where the cuts and bruise were. He focused mainly on the cuts as he finally managed to rub it all in. She had her eyes closed tightly, obviously expecting him to do something bad. "There," he purred, putting the stopper on the vial and tucking it into her robes so that she could use it whenever she needed it. He couldn't leave her without responsibilities, after all. "So, it seems you have perfect timing. Next week is the day that the potions masters meet, introducing new apprentices and projects. Therefore, you must be acquainted with the procedures, and with my new project." Severus took in a breath and released her. "Keep the healing draught. It is likely that you will need it before, during, and possibly after this damned meeting."
"I…Take it you don't…Like the meeting, sir?" Lilium questioned softly. She knew that Whitley loved the meeting, the ability to gloat about any tiny thing he discovered that was going to be presented later in the day. This had led her to a dislike of the meetings that they congregated for…Beside the fact that they were all Death Eaters and had a tendency to be more cruel to the apprentices than necessary.
"I detest dealing with the fools," Severus said bluntly. "There are a few things to know about the meeting. I suppose that you should know that a male-female apprenticeship is unprecedented. Therefore, we must be entirely professional and you mustn't hide behind me or cling." Lilium thought of Whitley. Yes, she understood the words of her new master. Men like Whitley would take advantage of the situation of a female apprentice that technically had to do whatever the master wanted. This was what she hated about these masters. None were quite so traditional, but she could tell that Severus was formal. He acted it…Somewhat. When he wasn't being rude, he was rather traditional in treating her as he would a boy. She wasn't a girl woman in his professional eyes, which may work out for the better. Regardless, she was nervous about the meeting. She remembered the last one, and she had nearly been poisoned five or six times!
"Also, it is to be noted that you should not speak unless spoken to. You should not shake hands, mingle, interact, or drink anything that I did not give you specifically. We will work on this. Also, ask me a question that only I would know how to reply to," he said bluntly, staring at her intensely. Lilium nodded mutely, not wanting to interrupt him. "Just in case, I will stock you with antidotes and healing items. Watch what you eat and drink…After all, someone may attempt to poison something." He shrugged. "I'm not sure why everyone's so competitive there. I simply patent my work and go. That way, I'm not beat." Lilium decided not to point out that he was paranoid of losing, which was most likely a wise decision. After all, if she did and he was displeased, he was likely to find a way of punishing her. And there were, indeed, many ways.
"Another thing to be noted is that you are likely to be the only female other than a few mistresses, but they are likely to attempt using you. Do not gravitate toward anyone, though you will be asked to mingle. I would suggest not speaking after all, you are far too nervous to make simple conversation unless it would be rude otherwise."
"I-if I may ask, sir…Why are you telling me this now as opposed to later?"
"Because I am not one to give last-minute warnings, nor am I one to repeat them, so I will most likely just tell you quickly to be sure that you know what you're doing. It seems that you aren't a total dunderhead, so you should be able to remember what I have said," he replied. Lilium nodded. She hoped that he didn't think her as much of one as he had when she was a student, but she had learned a lot since then on obedience and potions. She rather enjoyed the topic and the ability to make something that would help so well, after all. And not having to use much magic? She could use charms and such, but not as well as she could brew a poison or a draught.
Lilium sighed through her nose, sitting at a desk. "Umm…Sir, where am I going to be sleeping?"
"As it turns out, I have actually been quite busy for a little while, and thus unable to create an expansion in my quarters. Therefore, you will be sleeping on the floor or my couch. Your choice. Either way, I will provide you with blankets, pillows, and food."
"Th-thank you, sir," Lilium murmured to him. He smirked at her.
"Don't mistake this as kindness. It is simply this: I cannot do much with you if you're dead. So my best bet to keep you working is to keep you healthy. As it is, you will be needing food," he said, gently resting his hands on her sides to better get a feel of her build through her cloak. She was thin, not that he couldn't tell from her face, neck, and hands. He nodded. "It seems that we will have to build up your strength. You are likely to need it to transport materials for me," he said bluntly, and Lilium nodded, despite her entire body stiffening at his touch.
Gentle though he was, he was a man who had authority over her. Not to mention that he could easily overpower her. Perhaps this was what scared her most about him. She knew he was stronger than Whitley, and she knew that he would be able to hurt her more, kill her far easier.
As she followed him, she swallowed hard. He was leading her to a part of the dungeons she didn't know, but she was certain that his eyes had beckoned her to follow him. If he didn't want her to, he would simply tell her to leave, after all. What harm would he do? He tapped a brick, murmuring a password to it. The bricks were now folding in on each other, and she blinked. This must be a similar charm to Diagon Alley. This wasn't a surprise, as she considered Severus a very powerful wizard. She stepped through when he pushed her, telling her that she needed to go first. He was strong, but also careful that she wouldn't fall flat on her face.
Once inside, Lilium blinked at the lush colors. Beautiful emerald green, silver, black, and white was all over the room, flaunting his Slytherin side. She wasn't surprised about this part, but more the lush carpet and luxurious leather. What surprised her even more was the literature. He had bookshelves stocked, and as she browsed titles, she found only one shelf having to do with potions, and it was textbooks and a potions journal that he was probably subscribed to. Otherwise, it was Muggle literature. She saw "Goethe" on the spine of an old, thin selection. It was leather-bound, and she was certain she knew what it was. "The Sun intones, in ancient tourney with brother-spheres, a rival song, fulfilling its predestined journey, with march of thunder moves along. Its aspect gives the angels power, though none can ever solve its ways; the lofty works beyond us tower, sublime as on the first of days." Her voice was quiet, shy as she said it. She jumped as a deeper voice answered her lines.
"And swift beyond where knowledge ranges, Earth's splendour whirls in circling flight; a paradise of brightness changes to awful shuddering depths of night. The sea foams up, widespread and surging against the rocks; deep-sunken base, and rock and sea sweep onward, merging in rushing spheres' eternal race," Severus said, as she had recited the beginning part of Faust. She had, of course, skipped over the dedication and the prelude, but starting from the prologue with Raphael worked well enough. In all his years, Severus expected to read the part of Mephistopheles as opposed to one of the archangels…Especially one so good as Gabriel. Regardless, he glanced at her. "You are a fan of Goethe?"
"Well…I only know a little of Faust…"
"Hmm. So it seems," he replied curtly, not happy with her answer. She knew only a little of Faust? He was sure that was a lie.
X
Well, this was the first installment of this fanfiction. For those interested in Resonance, no, I am not abandoning it. The only real time I get to write is now in school, where I get 2 hours and fifteen minutes to also do assignments. It is actually a little annoying some days.
I liked my idea of giving you a preview of how their relationship will turn out. This is going to start out as a dark fic, considering Lilium's past and master. A bit of a side note…Lilium is Latin for "Lily." I came up with her name (not the last name) off of a website, but when I looked it up and saw who I oft put her with, I laughed quite a bit from it.
Anyway, the next chapter is about the meeting of potions masters. I'm thinking about whether or not Whitley should be in it, because that would create quite a paradox. I am thinking of ways to get around it. The only clear way I can think of (since there's a paradox anyway when Lilium's school self shows up in a few years) that I may just put Whitley in it…Ah well. So, enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is by J.. Faust is by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.