Chapter 6

By Katia

Rating: T

Legal stuff: I don't own anything. It's all JK Rowling's. Please don't hurt me, I'm little. You get the picture.

Her heart skipped a beat. Bloody hell, what is he doing here? She blinked, but he still sat there. Well, I suppose he has a right to be here. She paused, unsure of what to do, then gathered up her courage and walked over to the grimy little table at the back of the Leaky Cauldron that Severus Snape was sitting at. This was her chance, maybe her only one, and she was going to take it. Damn him for making her life miserable, but she still loved him and still was drawn to him.

"Hello, Professor." She said as she slid into the chair across from him. The look in his eyes as he raised them to meet hers was incomprehensible. She wasn't certain but she thought she saw him pass from surprise to anger and then back to his usual stony exterior.

"Hello, Miss Granger. To what do I owe this pleasure?" He managed to get out civilly.

"I was just passing through on my way back from some shopping. When I saw you I simply thought I could reminisce with a former professor. I hope you do not mind the intrusion." She smiled, knowing full well that he most certainly did mind.

"Miss Granger, you know perfectly well how I feel about seeing you." His eyes returned to the paper in front of him.

"Yes, I do remember those things you have said to me. I suppose…" She paused, her courage about to fail her when she most needed it. "Well, I supposed that perhaps, after all this time, that you might have…changed your mind."

"People don't change, Miss Granger." His eye still didn't leave the paper.

"No, but perceptions, opinions, ideas, they can change with time. I just wanted to know, one last time." She held her breath. It was all out there now, and she knew that his answer would most likely break her heart into a million pieces again. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she had put herself out there for him to once again belittle her and possible send her back into that dark place that she had fought so hard to get out of before.

He looked up from his paper, deep into her eyes, and took a deep breath. Her heart was nearly pounding out of her chest.

This is it.

Germany, 1933

He straddled his bike, staring at her. She sat there every day after school, just sitting on the front steps, reading for hours. He couldn't understand it. He had been watching her nearly everyday for the last few weeks after classes let out. He wasn't sure why, but she intrigued him. She was younger, probably in only her fifth year, while he was in his final year.

"Koen!" He whipped his head around, and seeing his friends all about to leave the school, he quickly got on his bike and joined them.

"What were you doing, Koen?" Fritz asked him as the raced down the street.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking." He couldn't tell his friends about the girl. He wasn't sure how they would react, or really he wasn't even sure himself why he watched her.

"You've been doing that a lot lately after school."

"Yeah, I know." He brushed it off. "Do you think we have time before Jugend to stop by the bakery?"

"We can always make time for the bakery! You know that!" The boys peddled off down the street, with Koen giving the girl on the steps one final glance.

Ada put her book down for a moment to search the square for her brother. He was no where in sight, as usual, so she continued waiting. In the past months her family had begun to be more cautious in public. Rumors spread through the city of Jews being taken away or killed. Ever since the Reichstag had been burned she had noticed that her friends had become a little distant. She wasn't allowed outside the house without her parents or brother with her. Her father, being a doctor, was certain that his family would be safe due to his position, but didn't want to take any chances in the streets where no one would know that Ada was his daughter. She thought his worries were silly. She didn't even look Jewish, with her almost-blonde hair. But he still worried.

Ada picked her book back up and began reading. She had always felt different from the other children for one reason or another. At times she was acutely aware of her Jewish heritage, and how it set her apart from most everyone else. Other times she found the other children annoying or stupid. She knew she was far more mature than they were, but it still surprised her sometimes. It wasn't that she didn't have friends, but they were more of the sort to talk to during lunch period than the type who become a second part of the family because they visit so often. At times she wondered if she would want to have friends like that. She saw the other girls, how they paired off within their own groups and became inseparable. Thank goodness her intelligence and imagination was always able to redirect these thoughts to more pleasant or interesting things.

"Ada!" She looked up quickly at the sound of her name. "Let's go, hurry!" her brother yelled at her across the square. She ran over and hopped onto the posts of his bike, wondering what her mother was making for dinner at that very moment.

Koen tried to focus in Jugend, but was distracted by his thoughts of the girl. He knew she was Jewish. She didn't look Jewish and he had been surprised when someone had pointed to her as she passed in the hall and called her "Jew bitch."

He was pulled back into the present by his group leader asking him a question. "Will you be joining us this weekend Koen, or do you prefer to daydream?"

"Sorry, sir. Yes, sir." Koen replied. He was actually looking forward to the camping trip. They were going into the nature park, not far out of the city.

After Jugend Koen and Fritz walked toward the city center on their way home. Fritz was more than talkative for them both, so Koen simply walked beside him silently. Thankfully Fritz hardly ever required a response, so Koen was left to his own thoughts again, which was what he preferred. At the city center they bid each other a good night and went their separate ways. It was a cold night and Koen was doing his best to get home quickly, but a sudden gust of wind stopped him dead in his tracks. He was over come by a smell. The wind was from the North, or maybe the West, he couldn't be sure, and the smell filled him with a strange feeling. He couldn't place it. Within seconds the smell was gone and he continued on his way home, his thoughts occupied by this strange occurrence.

Ada's mother was baking, and the scent of strudel filled the house and made her smile. She was staring out the window into the street, watching as people bustled by towards the city center, or home with freshly wrapped packages. Everyone was bundled up against the cold. She loved watching people, studying them. She had studied her father closely today. He was tense and upset about something, but she had been prevented from furthering her investigations when he had closed himself in his study after lunch. Her mother was suddenly behind her and placed one hand on her shoulder while the other handed her a fresh apple strudel.

"Come away from the window," Her mother said softly, closing the drapes.

Ada moved back into the kitchen and sat at the small table. "Papa doesn't seem happy today. What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing of importance darling. Just know that he loves you very much, but had a lot on his mind. We all love you very much," She felt her mothers hand smooth her hair as she walked back to the oven.

"Yes mama." Ada picked up her book from where she had left it earlier that day and began reading while her mother baked.

The day passed quickly and soon Ada was in bed, with her favorite book, Grimm's Fairytales, hidden under the covers. Her parents had given it to her as a Hanukah gift many years ago, but she still loved to read it. Her eyes closed quickly and she was soon fast asleep.

The sounds were muffled at first. Whispering, and hurried footsteps slowly woke her from her pleasant dreams. Through her sleep-fogged mind she heard her father's voice becoming more urgent, and then three loud thuds on the front door.

Her mother's face was suddenly in her doorway. "In the closet! Now! Hide yourself and don't come out until I tell you to! Don't make a sound, Ada, not a sound. Remember that I love you. Remember." Her mother's eyes looked as if she were about to cry, but just as Ada opened her mouth to speak her mother disappeared and the sounds from the front entryway became louder.

Ada quickly went into her closet and hid behind boxes of summer clothing, with a blanket over her head. She clutched her book to her chest as she heard yelling. Her father and bother's voices mixing with voices she couldn't recognize.

The voices were coming closer, and Ada began to shake from head to toe. She couldn't hear her brother any longer, and she though she could hear her mother, far away. Her father was still yelling things she couldn't understand, and the other voices…they were the ones that frightened her the most. She began to hear crashes and the sound of things being shattered. She thought of her mothers words "Remember that I love you. Remember." She wanted to cry, but instead she focused on hearing the things going on around her.

Her mothers scream pierced through her heart, and then the house became quieter. She could hear low voices, voices she didn't know, talking. Her father was silent, her mother was silent, her brother was silent.

Someone was in her room. Her heart leapt, hoping it was her mother, but not daring to move. She heard a mans voice, and then footsteps back out into the hall. Her heart sunk. The house became quiet, silent. The door slammed, and she was alone.

Her mind raced. Her father's strange mood, her mother pulling her away from the window, and her mothers eyes that night, filled with fear and tears. Ada felt the hot stinging as her own eyes filled with tears. After a while, maybe minutes, maybe hours, she lay herself down on the hard, dusty floor and silently cried herself back to sleep.

The weekend had gone great! Koen loved the outdoors, loved hiking and working with his hands to build things. They had stayed next to the small lake in the nature park, and had spent their days hiking, fishing, and just enjoying being in nature. He had been sad when they packed up their things early Monday morning and headed back to school.

His mother wasn't a supporter of the Jugend, but she saw that it was necessary for her son. She didn't like the things they taught him there, and was worried he would become a blind follower of their teachings. She had raised him to be an independent thinker, and saw the Jugend as contradicting all her beliefs. His father on the other hand completely supported his Jugend activities, and in fact encouraged it. That was the only reason he had been allowed to go on the weekend trip, and he was grateful.

That day at school his thoughts were still back in the nature park, but once school was over and he stood waiting in the square for Fritz his thoughts turned to the girl. She wasn't on her usual perch. He wondered if he had missed her, or if she simply hadn't been in school that day. His thoughts were pulled away as usual by Fritz and the two boys peddled off towards the bakery.

Ada opened her eyes slowly. She wiped her eyes, and then listened quietly. No sounds came to her ears besides those of the normal activities taken place out on the street. She slowly put her head back down on the floor, clutching her book tightly, and waited. Her mother had said not to leave until she came back to get her, so she wasn't going to move. Her mother would come, she knew she would, and then everything would be alright again.

She suddenly realized she had missed school. She wondered what her teachers would think. She loved school and her teachers and wanted them all to think highly of her. She hoped they would understand when she tried to explain tomorrow.

What had happened last night? She couldn't figure it out. Her family was gone, some people had taken them away, and her house had from the sound of it been torn apart. She sniffed a little remembering her mothers voice, and then the scream.

Her eyes clamped shut tightly and she blocked it out, forced the memory from her mind, and slowly calmed her breathing.

She propped the book up and began to read. "The Hare's Bride."

Koen was slowly pedaling home from the bakery. He didn't mind the cold as much after spending the entire weekend in it. He took his time, thinking about the weekend, and then pondering why the girl had been missing.

As he turned a corner he noticed that one of the nicer homes on the street looked as though someone had robbed it. The window of the front door was smashed in. He hopped off his bike and looked through the hole. The entryway was littered with smashed bits of wood and crumpled papers. The door was open, so letting his curiosity get the better of him he walked in.

A picture frame was face down on the landing going up to the kitchen. He turned it over and looked at the family behind the shattered glass. They were well dressed, with dark hair, and-

"What?!" He stared closer. "No, it can't be." The young girl sitting next to her mother was the girl from the school square. She smiled up at him, her blonde hair such a contrast to her family. He stared closer, to make sure it was really her, and then slowly put the frame back down. So this is her house. I wonder what happened.

He slowly made his way into the kitchen, trying not to step on any glass. The kitchen had obviously been pristine and beautiful, but now the chair and table lay at odd angles across the room, and the drawers had been emptied onto the floor. More photo frames were smashed on the ground, but Koen didn't look at these. His eyes were caught by the strudels sitting on top of the stove. It was such a normal sight to see, surrounded by all the chaos.

He slowly walked into a hallway. Pictures hung from the walls at odd angles and most were smashed. He saw the girl's smiling face in more than one of the pictures. He picked one small photo frame off the ground and stared at it. It seemed very recent. She was sitting on a beach in a summery dress holding a book and smiling. He wasn't sure why, but he quickly pulled the photo from the broken glass and frame and stuffed it into his trouser pocket. He put the frame back on the ground and kept walking.

He came to a study first. Papers were strewn everywhere and the contents of the drawers had been dumped on the floor, just as in the kitchen.

He quickly moved on, suddenly feeling as if he were intruding, which he was, but it hadn't really struck him before. He opened the door to a bedroom with a simple desk and bed with a blue blanket. He closed the door and peered into the next room. It had to be hers. Bookshelves lined the walls; the desk was littered with school work and papers. He slowly walked in. The only indication that this was a young girls room was the teddy bear with a pink bow on her bed.

He suddenly stopped moving and listened. He though he could hear something moving. He moved towards the closet.

"Mama?" A small voice called from within the closet. He slowly opened the door. He couldn't see anything except for clothes and some boxes.

"Who's there?" He said softly.

A head peaked out from beneath a blanket in the back of the closet. It was dirty and had marks where tears had flown, but he knew it was the girl. She stared at him and he stared back.

"My mother told me to wait her for her." Her voice was very soft, even though he was only a few feet away from her.

"You should come with me," He said, trying to match her volume. "We go to school together, do you recognize me?"

"I think so." She looked at him intently. "But I should stay here."

He thought hard. He wasn't even sure what to do with her. Her family must have been taken away by the secret groups that had been targeting Jews in the past months. They were unlikely to return anytime soon, if at all. She was very lucky that she hadn't been found. "Come with me to my home. My mother would love to meet you, and we can keep you there until your mother comes."

He could feel her eyes scrutinizing him. "Why are you here?" She asked in her quiet voice.

He didn't know what to say. He wasn't even sure himself why he had gone into the house. "I saw you weren't at school today and was worried about you," He made it up as he went. His father wouldn't be home that night, and he knew if he explained to his mother she would know what to do with the girl, he just had to convince her to come with him.

"I am kind of hungry," She said shyly, looking away from him.

"My mother is a great cook, I bet she has dinner ready right now!" He took the hand she held out to him and pulled her up and out of the closet. He noticed that her other hand was gripping a fearfully large book compared to her small size close to her, but decided not to say anything. He led her quickly out of the house, watching her as her eyes scanned the room. She picked her coat up off the floor in the entry way and shook all the glass off of it. She stared up at him and nodded that she was ready to leave, and he led her out the door to his bike.

They were silent the entire way to his home. Koen didn't know what to say. She was young, but she didn't seem stupid. She likely knew what had happened. He just hoped his mother wouldn't make a scene before he could explain, although the thought of the dirty girl currently sitting on his handlebars walking into his mother's kitchen almost caused him to laugh.

They were at his house soon and he helped her down from his bike. He led the way into the house. As he opened the door he saw his mother at the stove with her back to him. "Finally home, Koen? What took you so long?"

He stepped into the room, and closed the door behind the girl. He realized he still didn't know her name. "I found a friend on the way home who I though I should bring along." His mother turned around at this and took in the sight of the dirty little girl standing in her kitchen. She smiled gently and said to Koen "I'm sure there's some wonderful explanation for this, but why don't you help your friend out of her coat and show her someplace to put that book before we go into it."

Koen took her coat from her and made sure it wasn't touching his mothers on the hooks before turning back to the girl and reaching for the book. "No." Her voice was firm, still quiet, but very firm.

"I only want to put it down on the table, it must be very heavy." He could still see the resistance in her eyes.

"No." Her voice was final, so he let it go.

His mother put a heaping plate of potatoes and meatballs down on the table. The girl's eyes were suddenly focused on the food. "Go ahead and eat, Koen and I are just going into the next room and will be right back." His mother indicated the girl should sit down, and she didn't wait to be asked twice.

In the next room Koen suddenly realized that all of his mother's politeness towards the girl was not going to rub off on him. "Explain, young man." Her eyes were dark.

"She's a girl from school, a year or two younger than me. She's Jewish." His mothers face flashed an unreadable emotion, but then went back to anger. "I passed her house on the way home, and it was ruined. I went in to look around, and no one was there. It was mess. I found her in her closet. She's been crying. I think her family's been taken away. I wasn't sure what to do." He stopped, hoping that she would help him.

"So her family's gone. I suppose we'll have to bring her to the orphanage tomorrow. I never would have thought she was Jewish. I suppose I'll think of something by tomorrow. She can stay here tonight, just don't tell your father."

"Yes, mama."

"Well, let's get back in there and see if she needs anything." His mother sighed and walked back into the kitchen.

The food was good, and she was warm. She wasn't sure what the boy was up to, but she was glad that she had food. She didn't' even know his name. It made her feel strange to be in his home, with his mother. I wonder where my mother is right now. She shook her head and focused on getting the food into her mouth as quickly as possible.

The boy and his mother walked back into the kitchen after a moment. "What's your name, child?" the mother asked.

She swallowed quickly and managed "Ada" before shoveling more food into her mouth.

"Well, Ada, we'd love for you to stay the night with us. We'll get you cleaned up, and tomorrow we'll take you to wait for your family to come back."

"When are they coming back?" She managed between bites.

The mother looked confused, or maybe sad. "I'm not sure, darling."

Ada put down the fork and stared at the wall, griping her book with both hands. "They aren't coming back, are they? Papa was worried about this."

The mother was silent, simply looking at Ada with pity in her eyes. After a few moments she broke the silence. "We'll get you all cleaned up tonight, once you've had as much as you want to eat of course! And then we'll have you get some sleep before we bring you in tomorrow."

"Thank you." Ada paused for a moment, and then began to eat as quickly as before.

Time seemed to blur by. She was able to scrub all the dust and dirt off herself and was soon asleep under a pile of blankets on a couch in their living room, her book tucked safely under her arm.

The next morning she was woken by the wonderful smell of breakfast. She quickly got up and nearly ran into the kitchen. The mother put a plate in front of her and she began eating, nearly as quickly as she had the night before.

"Ada," the mother spoke to her while she continued cooking breakfast. "I've been thinking about what we need to do for you. I think we should bring you to an orphanage. They will be able to take care of you until your parents return. I wish I could let you stay here, but I simply cannot." She paused and looked at Ada, who was still eating, but a little more slowly. "I know you are Jewish, but I don't think we should tell the orphanage. Unfortunately these are not good times to hold the beliefs that your family does."

The mother put down the pan and walked over to stare Ada right in the eyes. "It is very important that you understand me. You must not tell anyone that you are Jewish. You must not mention anything about being Jewish. Do you think you can do this?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ada nodded.

"Good. Never forget what I told you, Ada. It's very important." The mother went back to cooking, and soon Koen walked into the kitchen.

"I have to go to school, mother. When are you going to bring Ada to the orphanage?" He looked at the girl, who was eating an amazing amount of food.

"Shortly after breakfast, I believe."

"Oh." He had wanted to go with them, to help Ada, but hopefully she would be put back into school after a few days. He left for classes after a quick breakfast, telling Ada he would see her again soon. She had thanked him as he walked out the door.

Ada managed to hide being Jewish through the war. She saw many terrible things. She came of age in 1937 and got a job as a seamstress. She worked sewing parachutes and was able to remain safe. The war finally ended when she was almost 26. When it ended she moved to America and was free to do whatever she pleased. She started practicing Judaism again, and found comfort in the memories it brought to her. She never heard anything of her family again. They were very early victims of what came to be called the Holocaust.

She never forgot the young boy who found her in her home. She always wondered what had happened to him. She married a young American Jewish man after a couple of years, and she knew he loved her very much. They had a good life together, but she was always haunted by her past.

Koen was drafted into military service two years later. He had tried to visit Ada, but was told she had been transferred to a different orphanage. He was forced to give up. He served his country well, being drawn quickly through the ranks. He had worked his way up to second lieutenant when he was killed in 1944 on the Russian front. Among his personal effects was a picture of a young girl on a beach with a book, smiling.