Blind-Saint: Lmao! It's a bit immoral, then. I didn't think he'd be THAT old... I mean, yes, 21 years IS a big gap, but Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas made it work. lol I'll see if I can make Snape more... youthful to disregard that fact.
"Leave your things and follow me," Master Snape said briskly after her first three lessons the following Monday. Though confused, Valentina followed obediently. She followed him out of the mansion to the east garden where the sun was shining quite happily and the tulips were in full bloom. They neared the large east fountain, where a statue of a great lion stood. Its open mouth let out a roar of cool, clear water. He had her sit on the fountain's ledge and told her to close her eyes and empty her thoughts. Devoid of the previous hate she felt towards her Master, she found it quite easy to do so. She thought of nothing and felt nothing.
"LEGILIMENS!" She heard him say. She felt her mind spin and she fought for control. The blanket of black nothingness around her was beginning to lighten and take shape. She could vaguely tell where she was. Again, she found herself sitting in the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela in Spain with her cousin Pierre Coeur de Lion who was visiting at the time. She didn't want to go through the painful memory again, but the more her fear grew, the more clear the memory became. Pierre had turned to her. His cold, icy blue eyes were fixed onto hers. She quivered with fear. Suddenly, the memory left as fast as it was conjured. She opened her eyes to face the wrath of her Master but found him merely gazing at her with a nondescript expression on his face.
"You have experienced how it feels to be in control," he drawled. "For a painfully short time, that is." He added, just to show himself that he could still criticize her a bit.
"But, Master Snape," Valentina said, ignoring the slight jab. "How do I keep my mind empty? The moment I knew which memory was coming up..." Her voice trailed off.
"Have you been practicing?" He asked softly, accusingly. She lowered her gaze.
"Not as often or passionately as I should, Master," she replied softly.
"Perhaps if you-" he stopped himself, cleared his throat, and began again. "The skill of emptying one's mind is difficult, yes, but not impossible. It takes practice to master Occlumency. If you wish to learn, you will learn."
"I-I'd like to try again, Master Snape," she stammered, pulling back the sleeves of her red cloak. He raised an eyebrow at her but only nodded. She stood on the ledge of the fountain and closed her eyes, emptying her mind once more. Again, the familiar blanket of darkness enveloped her mind.
"LEGILIMENS!" She heard his voice but he sounded far away. There was a faint tugging at her mind but she ignored it, choosing the more passive approach against her mind's intruder. A shimmer of light appeared and voices began to be heard, but Valentina struggled to manipulate the darkness to cover up the light and mute the sound. Seconds ticked by in silence as she held the darkness, but she began to grow weaker and weaker and-
"Valentina!" Master Snape yelled, jolting her awake. He held her as they teetered haphazardly at the edge of the fountain. She had almost fallen in during the exercise and realized that he had gone up onto the fountain's ledge to prevent her from falling in. His annoyed face was inches from her own, and she wondered why he hadn't used magic. Impulsively-and with a mischievous grin-she kissed his pale cheek. Her Master, genuinely surprised, lost his balance. In a blur of red and black, laughs and curses, pupil and master fell noisily into the fountain.
The summer was coming to a close. Severus had packed his bags and placed them by the guest room door. His pupil had learned quite a lot in a very short time and, given her young age, it was quite a feat. He felt a strange feeling growing in the back of his mind. Would I ever see her again? No. He pushed the question back into the far corner of his mind. Valentina Corleone was a clever young witch, the soon-to-be heir of a great fortune. He was merely Severus Snape, her temporary tutor and the Potions Master at Hogwarts. Despite this, they had become more than student and teacher. They never talked about personal matters, but he felt as though they had become... friends. And this would probably be the last time he would see her. He was going to miss her annoying New English drawl, the way she jutted her chin out in defiance, the way her bright brown eyes sparkled with mischief... Two house elves suddenly apparated.
"Are you ready, sir?" One asked. He nodded and all three apparated to the front of the mansion. Valentina was awkwardly standing off to the side, refusing to look at him. Severus conjured a small, covered cage and walked to his pupil. He knelt down to look at her face-to-face.
"Valentina," he began, giving her the cage. "I—er... This is for you. I thought you might need it for when you finally do go to school. I wasn't sure if the species were allowed, but I'm sure you will find it quite fitting.." Valentina lifted the cover of the cage to find a young American bald eagle.
"He's beautiful..." She breathed, staring at the young but magnificent creature.
"His name is Avian. He's about 3 years old and—" Valentina threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"Please come to America with me," she whispered urgently. "We have twenty guest rooms and you can pick any of—"
"Stop," Severus said curtly, gently pulling away from her embrace. "I have duties here. In case you have forgotten, I am a professor at Hogwarts." She knew he was merely telling her the truth, not trying to be mean. But even then she felt hurt. "Take care of Avian," he instructed. "And write to me." Her face lit up.
"And you promise to write back, Master?" He nodded. Before he stood, she grabbed her shoulders and kissed him on both cheeks. Hiding his embarrassment, he stood quickly and patted her head.
"Be a good girl. Take a handwriting class. Your script still looks like chicken scratch. Study well and listen to your teachers. And for pete's sake, control your temper." Silvanus and Flavia appeared in front of them. Severus shook Silvanus' hand and kissed Flavia's.
"And how was everything?" Silvanus asked Severus as he picked up his daughter.
"All has been well," Severus replied. "You will find that Valentina has completed all her studies and has mastered the basic fundamentals of Occlumency."
"Excellent!" Flavia beamed. "I had already sent the gold to your bank account yesterday, so if you want to check before we go-"
"That won't be necessary," Severus said gently. Flavia looked faintly surprised at first, but recovered with a gracious smile. After a short session of farewells, Severus quickly glanced at his young pupil. Valentina gave him a weak smile but her large brown eyes were filled with sadness. Before he could change his mind, Severus grabbed the portkey and found himself in Spinner's End.
"Professor Lind?" Graham Lind looked up at his 11-year-old pupil. She was a very pretty witch. Her black hair, usually tied back in a red ribbon, was let down today. The black waves curtained her pale face. She looked troubled, contrasting with the eager grins of the students in the hallway of Rothsbane Magical Academy.
"Yes, Miss Corleone?" He grunted, sitting back down. The year was at its end and he was eager to leave.
"I was looking through my final and, well... You gave me a perfect score," she said. He shifted uncomfortably.
"I really don't see a problem-"
"I checked it together with Bayards and Comley," she interjected. "According to their tests, I have five wrong."
"Bayards and Comley are... Either way, your grade will not change!"
"I'm aware of that, Professor, but I still think I should be graded honestly!" Professor Lind snatched the paper out of her hands and marked the incorrect five.
"Satisfied now, Miss Corleone?" He said in more of a sarcastic statement than a question. She took it back from him.
"My father is arriving from Spain today," she said coldly. "I'm going to talk to him about where I'd be going to school next year." Before he could say anything, she turned and walked away.
Valentina felt someone's arm link with hers as she walked out of Professor Lind's classroom.
"Hey, pretty lady," a familiar voice greeted. Valentina gritted her teeth and forced herself to smile at John Nuttleswink, the son of the president of the Nuttleswink wand company. He was a good-looking boy, four years her senior. She thought him incredibly shallow and amazingly stupid.
"Hey, Johnny," she replied curtly.
"So, my friends and I are gonna hang out in Switzerland for the summer. You down?"
"No," she said simply, lengthening her stride. "I'll be in Spain."
"That's not too far off," he argued, matching her pace. "I can talk to your dad about it. I'm pretty good with parents." She whirled around to face him, throwing his arm off her.
"I don't want anything to do with you and your stupid friends," Valentina snapped. "Don't talk to me, don't talk to my parents, and keep your hands off me!"
"You know, if you weren't so rich, you'd probably be on my dick every fucking day." Valentina blushed, unaccustomed to such profanity, but recovered quickly.
"Yeah, yeah. If I could find it," she laughed mockingly. With that, she walked away with John yelling obscenities at her back.
Silvanus was getting old. At 40, his hair had grown increasingly grey and lines began to form on his handsome face. He paced his study, looking at the mirror every time he walked past it.
"Daddy!" He heard Valentina yell. Silvanus turned to see her happily running to him. He grinned and lifted his beautiful daughter into an embrace. "I missed you!"
"I've missed you too, mija," he whispered. He looked down at her radiant face. "I heard you've received full honors this year. What would you like as a present?"
"I can have anything I want?" She asked slyly.
"Anything." He meant it. He knew how hard she worked to be the top of her grade.
"I was wondering... Can I go to Hogwarts next year?" He almost dropped her.
"Que?" He asked. "Porque?" Valentina filled him in on what happened that afternoon between her and Professor Lind.
"Well, I'll just explain to him that you want to be treated equally..." His voice trailed off as he looked into her sad face. He knew it wouldn't work. She wouldn't be treated like the other students were, and they both knew it.
"Please, daddy?" She begged. "There isn't tuition at Hogwarts. There wouldn't be any reason for the teachers to be biased towards me." He hesitated.
"I'll talk to your mother about this, Valentina," he finally said. "Go unpack and we can go wherever you want today." His daughter beamed at him and kissed him on both cheeks.
"Thank you, daddy!" With that, Valentina skipped out of the room.