This fanfiction takes place in 2010.
Serana is played by Alice Evans.
3:
Family
Eileen Severus Snape was dreaming. She had no idea where she was in the dream, only that she didn't care. She had dreams like these every now and then. Before last year they had been infrequent, but they had become more common.
The area always seemed to change, but she could only see vague shapes anyway. The entire place was always covered in clouds or mist. It always felt utterly peaceful. What did she like most about it? Her father was always here. It was almost as if he'd been waiting for her to visit again.
"I was gone longer this time," Eileen said to him. She was sitting on what appeared to be a park bench. It wasn't cold or hot here, but a comfortable temperature between the two. There were no smells, no sound but their voices and footsteps, and the rustling of his robes.
She heard as he moved over and sat beside her. "No," her father said to her. "I was. I shouldn't keep coming here. But I can never stay away for too long."
Eileen turned to him. He was as she always saw him. They looked a lot alike. Though she had the build that her mother had at her age, she had her father's hair, though hers was waist-length, and she also had his eyes. The mix of her parents' skin tone had given her an alabaster-white skin tone. She resembled her mother in actual facial features, though did have enough of her father in her to leave no doubt that they were related. Her father was wearing the black wizarding robes that her mother had told her he'd been known for in life. "But are you really here? And where is here?"
He smiled a little. "It changes for me too." He seemed to think a moment. "I may or may not really be here. But if I am, I would imagine it is a place where the living and the dead can converse."
Eileen shook her head at the word "dead". It seemed to ruin the peace of the place. She just wanted this to be real, for him to really be here. "Do you appear to Mum too?"
He seemed to withdraw into himself. "My time with your mother is long past unfortunately." He gave her a very serious look. "You need to be there for her."
Eileen nodded. Whether this was real or not, in life it was just the two of them – her and her mother, for as long as she could remember. She didn't want to think about that now. Not here. She smiled. "I'm going for my second year of Hogwarts soon. It's like a second home."
"Friends can make it so," he responded, seemingly from experience.
Eileen nodded. "But I'm afraid," she admitted to him. "One of my friends…. I see him as more than a friend…." She shook her head. "I'm pretty sure he likes someone else though."
He nodded slowly, seeming to be remembering something. "If he does, you should look elsewhere. You may be meant for someone else. And while you're pining for this one person, you may be losing time with the one you're meant for."
Eileen nodded. She tensed when she heard her mother calling her suddenly. "I don't want to leave yet. I don't want to leave you here alone."
He shook his head sadly. "You don't want me to leave you alone…." He corrected her. "But I will never do that." He cupped her cheek.
Eileen leaned her cheek into his hand and cried suddenly. "I can't feel you…."
Eileen woke with a start as her mother called her again. She sighed and wiped away the tears that were still on her cheeks. She swallowed back the tears in her throat and called back to her mother, "I'm up, Mom!" She didn't want her mother to know about the dreams or that she'd been crying.
"Get ready or we're going to be late!" her mother called back to her. Eileen remembered then. They were going to go to Diagon Alley with her cousins, the Brightons, to get her's and Katherina's school things.
"Alright!" she called back. She grabbed some clothes before showering and dressing quickly. She also brushed her hair and her teeth. She then went downstairs to her mother and sat at the kitchen table. "Sorry."
Her mother, Serana Snape, smiled at her and shook her head. "You must have been having good dreams." She frowned when Eileen looked away. "Did I say something wrong?"
Eileen shook her head quickly as her mother finished cooking breakfast, made them both plates, and put Eileen's down first before sitting herself to eat. "No, it was a good dream. A very good dream. I was just… sorry to wake up." She started on her breakfast.
Her mother nodded. "Well, my father always said that if you want the same good dream again, to think about it right before you go to sleep."
Eileen started to ask something about her own father but thought better of it. She didn't want to make her mother sad. She ate some more before asking, "Mum, what happened to yours and Dad's families?"
Her mother froze at the question and stood as she finished her food. As she washed up, she responded, "The Lovegoods are mostly all gone. Except in another branch, there is still Xenophilius, Luna, the Scamanders she married into, and her children. The Princes died in the war, as did my mother and brother. Your paternal grandparents died of natural causes though."
Eileen listened to this before finishing up. After they were done cleaning up, they flooed to Diagon Alley and went to where they were supposed to meet the Brightons. The Brightons showed up soon enough – Octavius, Samira, and their children, Katherina and Adrian. Katherina was a year younger than her and would be starting Hogwarts this year. Adrian was only eight-years-old.
Octavius was tall and muscular due to being an Auror, though he did have more of a Seeker's build, and his features were sharp and aristocratic. He also had several scars in addition to faded burn scars on his back from many, many duels he'd been in-including a thin scar that stretched across his right cheekbone and a few that ran up his left arm. His hair was black with a light wave, and he wore it long enough to brush the collar of his shirt; however, he usually took to pulling it back into a short, loose ponytail to keep it out of his face if he feels he would get into a duel. His eyes were the unique Brighton brand of light blue.
Samira was also tall, but beside her husband and family, she looked quite short and the rest of the family - other than her daughter, who was the only one shorter than her - did not let her forget it. Her hair was black and long, but she rarely keeps it up. Instead it tended to curl around uncontrollably. Her eyes were purple. She had ivory skin and high cheekbones.
Kat was a mini version of her mother, but with her father's brilliant blue eyes – which were positively striking with her black hair and ivory complexion. She has the perfect seeker build, lean and small. Her hair curled messily down to her lower back and she usually held it back in a ribbon most days, only letting the pieces near her face stay loose. Of course, her hair rarely stays contained for very long, and she doesn't usually try to trap it after it's escaped. The only time this doesn't apply is during games or Magical Creatures class. She has the same high cheekbones and stubborn chin as her mother. One other thing she inherited from her father and Aunt Ophelia was the strange little bump and slight crook to the elegant little nose her mum gave her.
Like his parents, Adrian had black hair that takes more after his mother in its curl than his father. He did, however, inherit his mother's violet eyes along with his father's light crook in the nose. However, he inherited his mother's high cheekbones and skin tone. Instead of being either tall or short, he's pretty much average for his age and has a Seeker's build much like his father.
She hugged Octavius and Samira, who she usually just called Mira. Then she spoke to Katherina and Adrian as she let the adults talk. She looked at Katherina. "You'll love Hogwarts, Kat," Eileen said to her. "Everyone sees it as a second home. I'll bet you make friends easily. What House are you hoping for?"
Eileen herself had hoped for either Slytherin or Ravenclaw since those were the Houses her parents had been in. She had gotten into Slytherin House. Her mother had been proud that she'd gotten into her father's house, and apparently she'd spent more time in Slytherin House herself despite being a Ravenclaw. Eileen could guess why.
"Slytherin," Katherina responded to her. "Mum and Dad were in that House, plus you are too, so…. But I wouldn't mind the other Houses. I would just rather be in Slytherin."
Eileen nodded. She could see Kat in Slytherin. "Don't listen to the people who say all Slytherins are bad either. I love it. I've already made five really good friends. I'll introduce you when we get to Hogwarts if we don't see them here." She thought a moment. "Some Slytherins are bad though, but the other Houses have bad kids too, even Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."
Katherina nodded and rolled her eyes. "That's what I thought too. It's not the House, it's the person."
Eileen smirked at her words. "Very wise." She looked over at Octavius and Mira. "I think you may have a Ravenclaw here."
"Salvatore will be proud," Mira said back, causing Octavius to laugh before they went back to talking with her mother.
"I want to be in Slytherin too," Adrian said to them.
Katherina scoffed at that. "You're sneaky enough," she said to her brother. She looked at Eileen. "No matter what I do to keep him out, he still finds some way into my room."
Adrian laughed at that. "That because you're not sneaky enough," he said back. "Pretty sure you're a Gryffindor. You're too straightforward and not really smart enough for Ravenclaw."
Katherina went at him playfully. "I'll show you straightforward." Adrian started to run.
Her father gave a loud whistle. "Enough, you two," he chuckled. "While you three were busy talking, we got all your stuff. Let's walk around a bit though." Everyone nodded.
While they were walking around, there had only been one strange incident. No one else besides Octavius seemed to notice, but Eileen had enough of her father in her to be able to tell that they were being followed after the incident. They didn't see or hear anyone, they just… sensed someone. Neither of them mentioned it. It wasn't like they were being attacked and they were pretty sure who it was.
Eileen eventually spotted five people and got everyone to hold up. She nodded over to the five people. "My friends are over there. I want to introduce you all." The others followed her over. "Hey, guys. What's up? I wanted to introduce you to my family." She pointed everyone out. "This is my mother, Serana. And these are my cousins, the Brightons - Octavius, Samira, Katherina and Adrian." She pointed out her friends next. "These are my friends, Marcus and Marianna Bradford, Kaziel Fawley, Denyara Kent and Tempest Malfoy."
Octavius raised an eyebrow at the last name. "Malfoy? You related to Lucius and Draco Malfoy?" Her mother sensed trouble coming as Octavius was an Auror.
Tempest nodded defensively. "They're my grandfather and father."
Serana clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "While I generally don't like Death Eaters because of what happened to my husband, I was one, Severus was one, and I know Lucius and Draco." She looked at Tempest. "Your grandfather was a good friend to me and my husband, and my husband cared about your father a lot. It was nice to meet you. Please give my regards to your father and grandfather." Tempest nodded and she looked at the others. "Why don't we go to your place, Tavius?" She looked at her daughter. "If you wish to stay behind with your friends for a while, feel free to, and you can floo back home when you're done and message me when you get there if I'm not back."
Eileen nodded, thankful that disaster had been avoided. "Thank you, Mum." Her mother nodded and gave Octavius and Mira a pointed look.
Octavius was frozen for a while before giving his wife a pointed look. Mira nodded and took her son's hand, Apparating home. Octavius held out a hand. "Come on, Kat." He looked at her when she didn't move. "Katherina?"
Eileen looked over and followed Kat's gaze to see she was holding eye contact with a boy most likely Kat's own age that she had never seen before. "You know him?" she asked her cousin.
"No," Katherina responded. She looked away from the boy when he broke eye contact first. "Sorry." She took her father's hand and he teleported the two of them away to their home. Her mother was the last to go.
Eileen and her friends remained silent until Kaziel broke the silence by saying, "Well, that was eventful." Eileen laughed at that, making him smile. Pretty soon they were all laughing.
Hogwarts may give her a second home, but her friends gave her a second family.
