Weaknesses Revealed
Elizabeth found herself wandering into a forest which she vaguely remembered might be forbidden when she noticed a black shadow gliding past the trees. She stopped walking and stood flush against the nearest tree in fear of being found out. Then, she heard voices not far away.
"It is only in your mind, Severus," chuckled a familiar soft- sounding voice.
"No, Albus, you weren't there! You didn't see the…animosity in her eyes. She clearly despises me, and this time at least, it isn't my fault."
There was silence for a few seconds as Elizabeth slowly peeked out from behind the tree. Dumbledore was stroking his beard and looking at owner of the other voice, Professor Snape, with curiosity.
"Really, Severus, I have never seen you in such a state. Why should it matter to you if she does? You seem to dislike Harry well enough."
"I…she…" muttered Snape, at loss for words.
"Calm yourself, Severus. I already know why."
"Y-you know?"
Dumbledore nodded knowingly. " You always, start mumbling when she is mentioned.
She looks uncannily like her mother doesn't she? Like Lily." He cracked a warm, eye-crinkling smile while looking up at the sky, "I believe that she is smiling down from that place above at Elizabeth right now. Elizabeth has come so far, and from such a tragic past. There's more to her than simple hatred for you, Severus, quite like yourself. It is most curious that she is from an orphanage, too, don't you think, and I heard from the other professors that she is cunning and clever, but quietly so. Yes, it is most curious that she came to us this way."
Snape frowned deeply. "Are you suggesting that she might turn out to be like..."
"No, not at all, Severus! That would be a terrible conclusion to make. I merely stated some similarities between the two. There's nothing to suggest that she has the heart for such evil. No one should know better than you that the heart is really what matters when choosing where we stand."
Snape grimaced. "There's no need to bring her up again. She's gone now." With the flap of his cloak, the black-haired professor walked away.
"Elizabeth, you may come out from your hiding place now."
She felt her spine straighten immediately as she heard him calling her. Blast it, how did he know?
"H-hello. Nice weather for a stroll isn't it?" said Elizabeth, trying to escape the obvious punishment that was about to proceed.
"Indeed it is, but that's not what you were doing behind that tree, was it?"
"No, I guess not."
There was a silence as Dumbledore walked around the forest clearing, seeming to enjoy the soft chirping of baby birds in a nearby tree.
"Tell me, what was it like, your days in the orphanage?"
Elizabeth was surprised at the odd question, and couldn't stop herself from answering honestly. "It…it was terrible at first…but then I realized I was different, I had magic, and so when the other children picked on me, I could…stop them with my mind. They learned to fear me."
"Oh? Fear you? And did that make things better?"
"No, that's why I ran away, only to come to this." She was silent for some time, contemplating what she just said, and then she remembered. "What did you mean when you said it was most curious I came to you this way? Was I like someone you knew?"
The professor stopped strolling and looked directly at her, "There is a time and place for everything, Elizabeth, and it's not yet time to reveal this fact. Run along now, I dare say Madam Hooch will be wondering where you are."
"One last question," said Elizabeth quickly.
"Yes?"
"So Snape…"
"You will call him Professor Snape…"
"Professor Snape then, he actually cared about my mother?"
Dumbledore sighed deeply and pushed his glasses higher up on his nose, "I suppose there's no chance in denying since you heard it with your own ears, although a long time ago, I did promise not to reveal this side of him. Yes, at one point, Professor Snape and your mother were…very good friends."
"Just good-"
"-Just good friends. It's a pity it did not develop into something more."
"Yes, pity."
It has been several weeks and Elizabeth began seeing Severus with new eyes. She had yet to find out why anyone could love such a person, but at least his classes were tolerable since he favored her Potions partner, Malfoy, for some reason. He was now on the border of unpleasantness and simple distaste for her, and Elizabeth was unsure if she was ready to move on to any sort of like for this man. What happened to my parents then, that my mother had to give me up and that my own father does not even recognize my existence?
Elizabeth looked toward the window while doing her Potions homework, a whole parchment on the uses of toad turd in curing skin diseases. The skies were turning dark and she was bored out of her mind. This wasn't what she enjoyed about Potions at all. On top of that, she was dreading having detention with Professor Snape in ten minutes, something that she had been putting off until he told her explicitly after class to come to his office tonight.
Descending the dark staircase, she entered through the black doors into the dungeons where Snape stood ready with a pile of snail-looking creatures in a cauldron to his right.
"You're a minute late, Evans. I believe that translates into ten extra minutes in detention."
"Sorry, I got…lost on the way down."
"Bah! Excuses! You will be pulling these acidian snails out of their shells by hand. I would wear these gloves if I were you, or your hands won't last the night before they're… burnt off."
Two gloves were shoved harshly into her hands. "Begin."
Snape walked to the back of the classroom and sat reading parchments of paper. Elizabeth heaved a sigh and started plucking the greenish snails out of their shells. After a few boring minutes, she realized that this was an opportune time to uncover some of the mystery behind her parents' affair. The man with all the answers sat vulnerable in front of her. His mind was hers to be played with since she had the upper hand of knowledge. She cleared her throat loudly, trying to get Snape's attention.
"What, Evans?"
"Did you ever know my mother, Lily, professor?" she asked innocently.
He looked up, glaring at Elizabeth. "This is detention, not time to ask foolish questions."
"It's not a foolish question! I just want to know more about her is all."
She tried not to grin as she asked, "I only asked because I heard you were good friends once, before she liked Harry's- I mean-my father."
Snape's eyes narrowed as he hissed, "Who told you we were good friends?"
"Oh, you know the gossip that you hear in school. In fact, I've heard you were more than good friends, if you know what I mean." Any minute now, she was going burst out laughing or spill the truth if she didn't control herself.
In a blink of an eye, Snape was next to her, holding firmly onto the collar of her shirt, white rage written all over his face and his sharp quill poised menacingly at her neck. Elizabeth could smell his toxic breath that was exhaled from the mouth which was hardly two inches from her own. She tried pulling away, but his grip was too strong. She became frightened; it was no longer fun and games with Snape, but to show fear now would mean giving up the chance to learn the mystery of her origins.
Her hand found its way to her wand in her side pocket, and she clenched on it tightly. Her mind was rushing with all the spells that she read in her textbooks, but she suspected Snape was more than a match for her limited magic.
"Trying to fight me, Evans?Expelliarmus!"
Immediately, her wand flew into Snape's open hand. He frowned.
"This is Lily's wand."
"Yeah, so?" said Elizabeth as she struggled against the constraints of Snape's hands, her eyes focused on the pointy end of the quill still at her neck.
"It…" He couldn't finish his sentence.
Elizabeth finally realized it. The reason why he was so riled up by her knowledge of his past affairs. He still loved Lily. His eyes had changed from steely to somber the moment he Lily's name escaped his lips, and his whole body seemed to lose a little of its strength.
"You really cared for her didn't you?" whispered Elizabeth gently. Her eyes lingered on his, searching desperately for any sign of human kindness or mercy.
"No one must know," he gasped, unraveling more by the second. "It would…it would ruin everything."
Elizabeth immediately found a way to use this piece of knowledge to her advantage.
"Then let me go, "she gasped.
"I couldn't possibly now, could I?"
"Yes, you can. For Lily's sake, you can let me go."
"DON'T SAY HER NAME! This secret is of world importance! I could…I could make you forget all your memories, I could force you to drink a potion that would kill you if you even think about revealing my secret, or…or you could simply have a tragic accident disappear from the face of the Earth forever."
Elizabeth was acting on a whim, her fear leading her forward. She looked into his black eyes and took his white, worn hand gently as she said, "Could you kill me?"
She was too close, too intimate, and Snape just couldn't keep his composure. He dropped everything and turned away from her, "Get…OUT!"
Elizabeth got up from where she fell and dashed out the door, but not before saying, "I promise-I won't tell anyone."
And with the glint of the chained timepiece that she hung on her side, she left the room, leaving Snape to wonder if Elizabeth wasn't possibly Lily reborn.
