The Keeper
Chapter 9
"You've been sneaking out again!" her father's voice roared over the commotion. "I was just..." her sentence was ended with a sharp blow across the face. "You are not leaving your room for the rest of the summer!" "But the groceries and the chores..." she struggled to speak as he drug her by her shirt toward the basement. She pulled at its collar pressing against her neck. "Consider yourself relieved of your duties!" he concluded before opening the door and tossing her down the stairs. The wind knocked slightly out of her as she hit the cold concrete floor. Slam! She heard the door locking behind her, and she laid on the ground grateful the beating was over. After a few moments, she slowly lifted herself up, her body aching in protest, and she began her way to the lumpy cot against the wall. Her room... more like her prison. As she carefully put herself down on the old mattress she looked around at her gray surroundings. The basement was bigger than her room had been at her old house, but it was cold, poorly insulated with a cruel draft and its high pitched whistling. It was damp too, with certain areas regularly glossed with small puddles. The only light was from a small window which led to the backside of the forest, it was her regular route of escape. From upstairs she heard her father rummaging through something then the slam of the front door.
Severus Snape had been walking home when he noticed a very peculiar sight. He had heard the familiar sound of fighting up ahead from her house and purposefully slowed his steps. When he came nearer he heard the slam of the front door and saw a man, thin and unclean with a scowling face, march off the porch and around the side of the house, carrying pieces of wood and tools. Seven years, Yulisa and her father had lived in that house, yet not once had anyone seen him leave its refuge. He mumbled angrily to himself as he started boarding a small window at the base of the house. Snape watched discreetly as he passed, suddenly feeling certain that she was being locked inside.
Luckily the weeks past, and it was time again for school to reconvene. It was five minutes till 11 when someone wearing a hoodie came crashing in through the portal to platform 9 ¾. People noticed it with a bit a fear, on edge because of the Azkaban break out, but then soon realized it was the size of a child. The hooded figure rushed its luggage over to the drop off and quickly hoped onto the train just as its doors closed to leave. Waving good bye, the parents on the platform watched as their children were off, forgetting about the trains last minute boarder almost instantly.
Out of breath, the hooded figure made its way toward the back of the train, some students watching it pass with confused or suspicious looks. Finally finding it's compartment, it slid the door open and stepped in. Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at the new arrival with a bit of fear in their eyes until they heard the familiar "Hey guys." from underneath the dark fabric. "Yulisa, you scared us! What are you wearing a hood for?" Hermione immediately inquired. After she sat down next to Ron, she slowly lowered her hood; the three gasped at the sight before them. "What... What happened?" Hermione stuttered out. "Did someone hit you?" Harry demanded, sounding suddenly very angry. "It's nothing." Yulisa said calmly, she had a cut lip, some scratches on the side of her forehead and a bruised left eye. "Nothing... look at your face! Your eye..." Ron finally found his voice. "I don't want to talk about it, besides it's not like I can see out of that eye the rest of the time." she said in a low voice, her scar barely visible under the blue and purple. "Yulisa..." Harry began. "I said drop it!" The three stared at her, a little taken aback. She'd never lashed out at them before. She coughed as a result of her shouting, she had caught ill after her cold, damp confinement. They each looked like they wanted to protest but then continued onto their conversation not questioning her anymore. Ron and Hermione were talking with Harry about Sirius Black plotting to kill him. Yulisa didn't join the conversation, remembering her own fear when she had heard about the death eater breaking out. She gripped the necklace under her sweatshirt, afraid that they would come for it again.
Suddenly the train lurched to an almost immediate stop. The four toppling out of their seats. "What's happening? Why are we stopping?" Ron sputtered out. Yulisa heard a similar murmur of confusion and fear from the rest of the train. "Someone's getting aboard." Hermione stated as they heard the train doors opening. It was suddenly so cold and heavy darkness pressed down on them. Yulisa struggled to breathe as her grip tightened around crystal hanging from her neck. The compartment door opened and a horrible black hood floated in. Yulisa felt her body press against the wall beside her and her eyes fell shut. "Mama!" she heard her own young voice sting through her ears as her sight was blinded by the green light. Her mothers lifeless form fell to the floor as she looked up to the mask of a death eater coming towards her. Her eyes flew open, the fear and pain still so real. Her left eye seared the same way it had done the day she received her scar. The necklace in her hand burned a bright red, but everyone else in the compartment was busy hovering over Harry who had apparently collapsed to the floor. The man who had been asleep in the corner was awake now, helping Harry back onto his seat. He handed them each a piece of chocolate as he began explaining what a dementor was.
When they arrived at the castle, they were displeased to see that dementors were guarding its outskirts, but at least this time they kept their distance. A couple of students whispered and stared as Yulisa took her seat at Gryffindor table, no doubt talking about her beat up face. She kept her face down during the sorting hoping to avoid anymore unwanted attention. Harry, Ron and Hermione kept the other Gryffindors off her case at the table. She ate quietly, listening to the conversations around her, when she felt that familiar sensation of a pair of eyes burrowing into her. She glanced up to Professor Snape who was staring down at her with a rather unpleased look on his face. She turned back to her plate, ignoring him and everyone else in the hall.
By their first potion lesson of the year, the bruise had faded into a yellowish green. The cuts on her lip and forehead healed for the most part, but her cold-like symptoms worsened. Her throat was raw from her regular coughing, and the heaviness in her chest made it difficult to breathe. She was exhausted and her body ached from the fever, yet despite her friends pleas for her to go to the Hospital Wing she refused. During classes she hid her face and suppressed her coughs, telling her teachers she was fine when they too insisted she go see Madam Pomfrey. Uncomfortably she sat, shivering in the dungeon as Professor Snape issued out their instructions. Her fever was exceptionally bad today, her skin clammy and pale. Professor Snape made his rounds as they worked and stopped when he got to her cauldron. "Ms. Carmona, why are you not in the Hospital Wing where you belong?" his voice was quiet and calm. She didn't look up at him and replied, "I'm fine, sir..." she was going to make up some excuse for her appearance but he cut her off. "You're very much not fine and are in need of immediate medical attention. Go to the Hospital Wing at once." he almost whispered as he took a step closer. Some of the students were looking up at them, but again couldn't hear what they were saying. "I can't go, sir." she said looking up at him, knowing he was the only one who would understand. "What do I say when Madam Pomfrey asks me what happened? That I clumsily fell down a flight of stairs?" He hesitated. "You are very ill." he stated plainly, though his eyes held the tiniest twinkle of concern. "I'm fine." she restated looking back down at her potion. "Detention, Ms. Carmona." he said, sounding a little frustrated before turning to leave. "For what?" she asked in disbelief looking back up at him. "For your idiotic stubbornness." he turned away quickly, any concern in his eyes gone.
By the time of her detention, she felt considerably worse, if it was even possible. She barely had the strength to walk, but couldn't bear to prove Professor Snape right by staying in bed. Her knock against the Potion classroom's door was so light she wasn't sure if even she had heard it, yet a few seconds later the door opened and there he stood, looking down disapprovingly at her. She made her way in and sat down at her work station, shaking in relief. Immediately, Snape placed a vial in front of her on the desk. She stared at it confused. "Drink it." his voice was firm, not harsh, but having a tremendous amount of authority in it. Not even asking what it was, she obeyed. It went smooth down her throat having a lightly sweet and refreshing taste. The pain in her throat and head instantly started to subside and she could feel her air passages clearing. "Take one vial every 4 hours." he instructed handing her a small bag with 5 more vials of the same reddish liquid. She looked up at him, feeling a mix of confusion, gratefulness, and shock. He turned away from her and sat at his desk continuing his work. She too turned to her assigned tasks. She soon felt much better and glanced over to him periodically as she scrubbed and sorted. When she was finished, he didn't look up at her from his work but just motioned for her to leave with his hand. With the bag of vials in her hand, she headed for the door. With her hand on the handle she looked over her shoulder at him still sitting at his desk. "Thank you, Professor." she said, clearer than she had been able to speak in days. He just grunted in response still concentrating on the papers before him. "Good night." she said softly before leaving.
Several minutes after she had left, Professor Snape pulled a file from a drawer in his desk. Opening it on top of the papers he was grading, Yulisa Carmona's school records laid before him. He stared at her admission record, his thoughts straining as he read over her mother's name again. He had no memory of the older Ravenclaw from his school years. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling it was somehow familiar to him.
