Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I ever own Harry Potter or anyone or thing from that series, but I do own Lilly Christina Potter…
Because I haven't posted in a while here's a recap: I had been confined to my room ever since I got back from the hospital. The only time that I was aloud out of my room was when I had to do the chores around the house and make their meals. I couldn't even get out to go to the bathroom, so I learned quick to hold it till I was let out to do my chores or if I couldn't hold it any longer to go in a little corner of my room and when I got out for chores I was to clean up my mess. After only one day I learned VERY good control over my body to put it simply.
I am so sick of this. I can't wait till school starts again. At least then I'll be out of the house for a few hours while I'm at school.
Hope you enjoyed that now on to this chapter.
Key for Conversations
Mr. Doyer: Speaking- "Bold" and Thoughts-"Italics underline"
Lilly: "Regular"
Surprise Person: Speaking – "Bold Italics" and Thoughts – "Italics"
Chapter 5: Strange New Encounter
Oh joy, it's my birthday today and my grandparents won't even let me out to even do my chores. How fun. At least there's a small window up here in my room, because it's really hot up here. That's the bad thing about not only being stuck in the attic that is your room, but your birthday being July 31st; when, if you didn't notice, July is one of the hottest months of the year. I was sitting on a little-kids footstool – that was stored in the attic – just starting out the window when I see something strange.
It was someone walking towards my grandparents' front door. It wasn't that someone was coming over here that was strange; no, it was what the person was wearing and what he looked like that threw me off. The person was really pale and had shoulder length, pitch black hair from what I can see. Then I saw this person's face; it was a man – though from the way he was walking I should have guessed as much – and he had what – even from my little window I could see it – looked to be a hooked nose. He was wearing all black, and if that wasn't enough it looked like he was wearing a cloak – at least from all the pictures that I've seen of them – of some kind over robes all of it black, I mean even his shoes were black. That's all that I could tell about this strange man from my window because the next thing I know he's knocking on the front door. I know for a fact that my grandparents can't see through the window to see outside unless they peek through the blinds because they always close them I mean it wouldn't do for the neighbors to see what goes on in here.
I heard my grandpa get up and open the door. At this time I'm looking for any way out of my room. I look over towards the back of the attic to see a miniature door on that wall. I walk over to it out of curiosity. When I open the door I saw a tunnel – how had I never seen this before or how the hell did this get here? I look back toward the stairs and then froze when I heard this voice saying "Good day sir, my name is Severus Snape. I am a professor at Hogwarts, and I am here to retrieve Miss. Lilly Potter." Then, "Why is it that I let that old fool con me into retrieving the female Potter spawn?" I heard in that same voice only this time there was a lot of bitterness added, not forced politeness.
"Excuse me Mr. Snape, but you must be at the wrong house because there is no one here that is a Potter" "At least not anymore" came as an answer from my grandpa.
"There is no one named Lilly here?" "You liar," that other man said.
"As I said already, there is no one here by that name. You came to the wrong place, so get the HELL off my property!" my grandpa yelled back at the mysterious dark man.
I turn back to the tunnel that I found and made up my mind to find out where this tunnel leads. I'll deal with the wrath of my grandparents later if they find out about me escaping my room. I got on my hands and knees, because the tunnel was too small for me to walk through, and went into the tunnel. When I was completely in the tunnel I turned just enough to shut the door so that my grandpa – hopefully – won't see the door, then continued forward.
I quickly noticed that the tunnel went down when I lost my "footing" and started to slide down on my stomach. By the time I righted myself my stomach hurt and I had skinned my knees a bit; I'm just glad that this tunnel wasn't that steep or that would have been a bit more painful. When will this tunnel end? It feels like I've been crawling through this tunnel for hours.
Suddenly, I start to see what looks like light leaking in around a shape – that shape looks like a door. Yay, I've finally came to the end of the tunnel. Yay… I reach out to the door handle to open the door so that I can get out of this long dark tunnel. I open the door and get out, and when I'm out I look around to see where I am now.
It looks like I just came out of the tunnel into the person two houses downs' backyard – Mrs. Jacksons' backyard. Well that's different. Now I have to finish getting out of this tunnel without being seen by Mrs. Jackson or her little Chihuahua. That little dog – if you can call it that looks more like a rat with fur if you ask me (no offence to any Chihuahua lovers out there) – hates me just like Mrs. Jackson does. That old lady is mean, I mean, I will be doing my chores – which includes weeding and mowing her garden and lawn – and she would send her vicious little ankle biter to bother me to get me to react, then tell my grandpa that I was being mean to her "precious little Fefe," and getting me in trouble.
Yes, I made it. It looks like the old bat and her ankle biter aren't even home. Hey, there's that odd man in all black.
"Ummmm… its Mr. Snape isn't it?" I ask when I got within hearing distance.
The man in all black stopped mid-stride and turned to look at me. When he saw me his eyes got a little bit bigger and his mouth opened and shut a couple of times before he realized what he was doing. Once he did realize what he was doing he schooled his facial features to be passive.
"Oh dear Merlin, she looks just like Lily. Bloody hell she has to be Lilly." "My name is Professor Severus Snape. What is your name?" he asks in what sounds like a British accent, "Also before you answer my previous question tell me, how is it you knew my name?" he added on as an afterthought.
"I heard you at least tell my grandpa your name. I was upstairs in my attic room. My name is Lilly Doyer." I tell him quietly
"Doyer huh…" he says in that voice of his. What is it about that voice? "Are you sure that you are not lying to me?"
"That's what it's been since before I can remember, but I'm having doubts about it so now I don't know what my name really is," I answered quickly finding it funny that I was telling him all of this. Then as he opens his mouth I hold my hand up and answer his unasked question. "I overheard an argument between my grandpa and my doctor about my name being changed. I couldn't hear what was said before, but I heard the end of it," I told him in one breath. He looks at me for a couple of minutes with one eyebrow raised.
"And you are sure that you didn't hear the name it was changed from?" he asked.
"I didn't even really hear the name," I lied easily. He merely looked at me with that one eyebrow raised. "But I think that I was the one who you were asking about. My whole name – that I know of – is Lilly Christina Doyer if that helps any. I also know that letters for a "Miss. L. Potter" keeps being delivered to my grandpa's house from that place that you said you work at. What was it again? Last time I was even able to look at the envelope that the letter came in was almost a month ago and it didn't turn out pretty. Oh yea now I remember, Hoggywarts wasn't it?" I stated looking up at him questioningly.
"She has to be Lily's daughter. She looks too much like Lily not to be hers and Potters' spawn. Damnit she is looking at me as if she knows what I am thinking," he finished his rant with in a gruff. "Hogwarts, and who is it that you believe me to be looking for?" he asked in what seemed to be a measured voice.
"The same person that the letters were to; the same letters that I had a feeling were mine; Miss. L. Potter." I answered.
"You may be, but I would need conformation from that wallowing oaf that answered the door. The man you call "Grandpa," otherwise how can I be sure you were the one I was sent here to retrieve," he said.
"Who do you think changed my name? I came here to live with my dads' parents after… after they died? I guess you could say," I countered.
All Professor Snape did was tilt his head to the side. His onyx eyes glinting with an unknown reason; maybe that that glint was because he was starting to sound mischievous with, "Yes I know you are the one I'm here for, I can smell it. It's you, oh please Merlin help me keep my restraint. She's the one," and "Hmmm… maybe I should make Potters spawn suffer a little bit longer." "Perhaps with the right persuasion your "grandparents" just might loosen their tongues. I would require your assistance though to accomplish it," he said. "Damnit Severus, she's already getting to you."
"Sir, with all due respect, how am I supposed to help? I mean I'm supposed to be locked in my room right now, not out here," I told him honestly. Damnit Lil, how are you going to get back into your room? Didn't think of that; I'm in SO much trouble this time. After I said that I saw him stiffen up straighter after I said "locked in."
"Did you say "locked in your room"?" he asked and with a reluctant nod from me he continued on; "Who locked you in and how did you get out? You said your bedroom was in the attic, am I correct?"
"My grandparents did. They've been doing that since school let out for summer vacation, and I don't know how I got out exactly. I was pacing in my room thinking, "I have to find a way to get out of here. I have to talk to that man, somehow I know it's me that he's asking about," and then when I looked across from me I see this tiny door. I get scared, but curious about where the tunnel behind it led; so I crawled through the tunnel and long story short I came up in her backyard." I said pointing back towards Mrs. Jackson's house, "When I say "came up" I mean came up. The tunnel's exit was in the yard. Funny thing is that the tunnel and door were never there before. It was almost like the "M" word." I finished.
"Dare I ask, what is this "M" word you speak of?" Professor Snape asked with a hint of sarcasm in his beautiful voice. Wait, did I really just think that? Wow…
"I would tell you, but I'm not allowed to say what it is," I said looking down.
Professor Snape stays quiet for a minute or so before he reaches down and pulls my face up to look up at him with his thumb and pointer finger on my chin. One look into those burning – what am I thinking – eyes and I knew that I would tell him what the "M" word is. So I take a deep breath before I finally said, "The "M" word is "magic"" I whispered to him.
"She makes the word "magic" sound like a bad word" he thought before he said, "Why do you make "magic" sound like a bad word?" he says with a hint of curiosity in his voice this time.
"Because my grandparents… punish me when I even accidentally say it," I replied toying with the hem of my worn out shirt looking at the ground.
"What was that pause about before she said "punish?" There has to be more to it. I hope that she is alright. Damnit Severus, get a grip," Professor Snape argued in his head. I actually had to stifle a giggle before he heard it, but I think he heard it anyway. "Well let me be the first to tell you magic is neither bad nor a bad word," he told me. I know that I looked at him like he had just grown another few heads.
"Ummm… Do you mean to tell me it's real?" I asked him catching that he said that it wasn't bad.
"Have you ever done something that could not have possibly happened yet still occurred?" he asked me.
"Does healing extremely fast count?" I ask quietly.
"What sort of injuries are you speaking of?" he asked me.
"Well, a cracked skull and broken ribs among many others – I'm very klutzy and fell down three flights of steps," I answered his unasked question.
"How long did it take for you to fully recover?" he asked sounding slightly shocked.
"Ummm… about a day and a half," I mumble thinking that he would think I was a "freak" like everyone else does.
"Yes, that seems like it must be magic that helped heal these injuries so fast. I am impressed, I am not even able to heal that fast, "and I am a bloody vampire for Merlin's sake," he said. Did he really just say that? Does he really think that he is a vampire? Well, I guess that makes sense, I mean he fits the profile; pale, fit, but doesn't the sun hurt him? Oh crap, I need to get him out of the sunlight.
"Would you like to go for a short walk the sun is really bright and looking up at you is making the sun really kill my eyes?" I asked, this time he looked at me weird.
"I thought you said that you needed to get back to that space that you call your room? He asked with a slight sneer in his voice and features.
"Oh… right…" I replied. For some reason I just felt this pang of, what was that? Rejection? Yes that was it, rejection. Why do I have this feeling of rejection, I mean I don't even know this man and he's old enough to be my dad. Professor Snape seemed to sense that something changed with me.
"Are you alright?" he asked me with concern laced in his voice.
"Yea, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I reply a little too quickly I guess because the next thing I know he's starting to walk back towards my grandparents' house. After watching him walk away he stops.
"Are you coming?" he called behind him to me.
"Oh, okay. I didn't know if I should come or not," I said weakly once I got next to him. He just looked at me out of the corner of his eyes, but I don't think he knew that I saw it. "She's so beautiful; I cannot wait until she is of age." Who is he "talking" about? It can't be me, and what's with that "of age" thing?
"What is it you are thinking of?" he asked me.
"About how we're going to have to cut through their back yard about now," I lied quickly while pointing at the neighbors' house. I started walking that way and actually felt him follow me. I look back over my shoulder and say, "You know you can call me Lilly don't you?" and when I got no answer I said, "Well you can." I felt him speed up and walk next to me. I don't know what is going on, but he is making me feel safe. How is this possible? I don't know, but I hope that this feeling stays. I get the feeling that he feels the same because no only could I feel it, but I could also hear him thinking it.
Before I knew it we were in the back of my grandparents' house and time for me to figure out how to get back into my room. Then it hits me, I could climb up to my room. I start to climb up the side of the house quietly and I get about a foot up before Professor Snape reaches out and picks me up off the side of the house.
"Hey, I was just going to climb up to my window. I can do it you know," I whisper-yelled at him. I don't really like being picked up. The only time I'm ever picked up is by my grandpa when he is angry at me and then it doesn't turn out too pretty.
"I thought you said you were "klutzy." How do I know that you would not fall off the side of the house and get yourself killed?" he stated calmly.
"I'm not klutzy enough to fall off the side of a building. I'm not that daft," I whisper-yelled again.
"Then how is it that you fell sown three flights of steps?" he asked
Damnit, I forgot that I said that. "I… I… I stepped on a shoelace and fell down the steps from the attic and hit my head. Got dizzy and fell down the steps from the second to first floor. Then went to go down to the basemen and lost my footing from still feeling dizzy and fell down to the basement…" I lied quickly.
"Oh really, then how should I know that you won't "lose your footing" and fall off the side of the house?" he asked in a voice that clearly let me know that he wasn't buying it one bit.
"I won't" I promised.
"Very well. I shall stay here to ensure that you do not fall and hurt yourself." He said finally.
"Thank you," I said and smiled at him when he finally put me down to where my feet were firmly on the ground, and then started to climb up the side of the house again. This time I wasn't stopped.
"Her smile is so beautiful, just like her. Damnit Severus you are getting too soft. She really should smile more. Damnit, stop thinking that. She has to be being abused by Potters' parents. She is actually very graceful; I knew that she was lying. Dear Merlin help me, I am turning soft. Was that a giggle that I just heard from her?" his mind was going a mile a minute, I couldn't help the little giggle that he was arguing with himself, it was just too funny.
Finally I get close enough to my window that I can look through it. Thank God that my grandparents didn't come up to check on me. Now I just have to open my window… Yay, I did it without falling I cheered to myself when I got the window open enough for me to get through. I then climb around above the window so that I climb in feet first so I wouldn't land on my head – that would hurt a little bit, but oh well that didn't happen.
Once I got my bearings I looked out my window to see if Professor Snape was still there, but my luck held true. When I looked out my window he was nowhere to be seen. I thought that maybe I could see him at least one more time before he left so that I could at least say goodbye. Then I heard something that had me practically jumping for joy.
It was the doorbell. So he didn't leave after all.
So there it is this chapter is done. Please review it because I really like getting feedback on things and it also lets me know if I did something wrong. So please send any kind of feedback positive or negative. Thank you for reading,
Lots of Love,
Lilly
