(( Alrighty! One year done for these two :P More chapters to come and yes they will continue to relate to the original plot line J I hope you are all enjoying the story so far ^_^ I'm really liking the reviews I'm getting so far :D ))

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Snape looked out from one of the windows as he headed down the hall to his potions classroom to retrieve some ingredients and items there.

The students were all saying their goodbyes to the foreign visitors as well as each other now that they too were headed home. Of course, that wasn't what was on Snape's mind.

How did she feel right now? He wondered. He wanted to know how she was dealing with returning home today. What were her thoughts on having to board the Hogwarts Express and heading back to London in order to go home to her accursed muggle father who took pleasure in doing nothing but torturing the poor girl who was so different from him and the entire family.

He'd tried to question Lilia once about her mother. Perhaps she could go live with her if it was so terrible living at home on her own, but she'd swiftly burned that idea with her words, stating her mother had died several years ago. She'd never elaborated on the circumstances regarding her death but her tone had told him enough that he should not bother her about it.

He paused to stand by one of the windows and crossed his arms, looking out at the students in the outer foyer below. He wondered if she was even out there mingling with other students and saying her own introverted ways of goodbye to the people she knew. Like that Pyrites girl, or the Cuffe girl.

There she was. She was standing leaning against the wall of one of the outside corridors, her arms crossed in a saddening defensive way even if she wasn't aware of it. But he was. He was sorely tempted to go down to her and tell her she was allowed to come and live with him during the summer if she was so afraid of her father, but that would be so far out of line he would have to curse himself many times over just for being stupid enough to even ask her.

"Severus," came a familiar old but wise voice.

The black clad wizard turned and looked at his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore silently from where he stood leaning against the window sill. "Headmaster," he acknowledged calmly.

"Am I under the mistaken impression that you were actually fondly looking at the students as they prepare to leave?" he chuckled, approaching calmly, his hands folded behind his back as he moved to look out the window next to Snape.

Snape narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore and looked out the window coldly again. "You were right. You're under the wrong impression," he muttered.

Dumbledore looked at Snape with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. "My mistake. A particular student then, is it?" he asked. He smiled slightly and looked out the window again. "A Miss. Lilia Gunner, am I correct?" he asked.

Snape tensed slightly but said nothing.

"It would be most unwise to associate yourself too much with a student. I understand she is in your house and so you have a duty to help her while she attends Hogwarts, however…" he paused and thought of what he wanted to say before he said it. "If she does not ask you specifically for help, then you are unable to act upon her aid outside of school boundaries… you know this, Severus. What happens to her is her own business unless she chooses to make it yours as well," he explained, looking up at Snape.

He was about to remark that in a way it was his business, but Dumbledore raised his hand for him to quiet.

"She has told you part of what she has been through. In this way, you are informed of her situation, but she has not asked you to help her and made no suggestion of needing it for the time being, so until that time comes, you are required to stay neutral to her outside of school," he told him, looking over his half moon spectacles at Snape imploringly.

Severus frowned and then looked at Lilia again, but once more, said nothing.

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Lilia watched as the Beauxbatons girls and Durmstrang boys mingled within the crowds of Hogwarts students, getting mailing addresses so everyone could keep in touch.

She saw no one whom she wanted to associate herself with outside of school. She had gotten to know Dawn, Ariel and Cimbeline this year, but saw no reason to address them as friends. She also saw no reason to mail them over the summer. They didn't speak that often now that she thought about it. They were always gathered together in their group, but she seemed to be just on the brink of the edge of it, even if they included her in the discussion or invited them to sit with her. She just didn't fit in with them. She didn't really fit in with anyone.

At least other people laughed and joked around. But she couldn't. Her spirit and happiness and her entire childhood had been torn from her by her wicked father and she would forever hate him for it. She could not cry or laugh or feel completely at ease with anyone because there was that hatred deep within her heart, fused to her soul that would forever weigh her down to some extent and lead her to hate others and mistrust people for the rest of her life. But she wanted it that way. She didn't want to learn to smile and get to know people only to be ripped apart on the inside by them and their cruel or stupid ways. It seemed an utter waste of her time. Her father had let her die so much on the inside that even when she realized Cedric had been killed by Lord Voldemort… she hasn't responded. Not at all. There was no fear anymore, no sadness, no anger at the dark lord; nothing. Her body knew how to react, but inside she felt nothing… and that was how she preferred it. Numbed to things she felt were useless and futile to care about.

After the visiting students left, she proceeded out to the train with the other students and stood waiting to board behind the others so they could go home.

Once on the train, she went to find somewhere to sit alone.

She found a small cabin and stepped inside, closing the door to it and sitting down with a relieved sigh. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and then opened them to look out the window at the view of Hogwarts from her seat. She would miss the school. Specifically, the safety she felt there. But nonetheless, she was going home now and had to deal with her father for another two months, regretfully. It was moments like this when she wished sometimes she had made friends, so she could escape to their houses for the summer but found that it would be cruel. People had been cruel to her at home, and she would not be cruel to another person in that way. Use them to have a place to stay and then reject them at the first sign of niceness… it wasn't who she was, so she distanced herself from anyone she could to avoid the entire mess itself.

Once the train started to move, she felt a lurch in her stomach, thinking for a moment about Snape and wishing she had at least said goodbye to the man.

After the train had been driving for some time, she heard the door to her cabin slide open and was surprised to see the Weasley twins entering the cabin.

"Oh! Sorry miss, didn't realize it was taken already," one of the two chuckled. She didn't know which was which.

"Mind if we join you? The others are a bit crowded," the other said with a grin.

She looked at the two of them and then shrugged, nodding to the seat across from her own.

With that, they sat down and chuckled. "So, what's your name?" one of the twins asked.

"What year you in?" the other asked.

Lilia looked at the two sceptically, already finding them extremely aggravating, feeling sorely tempted to leave. "Lilia Gunner," she answered quietly at last. "Third year, going into fourth after the summer."

"Aww, I think she's shy Fred," one said.

"I think so, George," the other chuckled. "No worries, we won't bother you much. You just look familiar," Fred said with a smile.

George scratched his head and looked at Fred. "Does she? I thought so too," he said and chuckled.

Lilia raised a brow and turned to look out the window.

And then Fred gasped, clapping his hands together. "You look similar to the girl I saw coming out of Snape's room!" he exclaimed suddenly.

Lilia's blood froze instantly and she looked at him, hoping her face wasn;t giving her away. "Sorry?" she asked.

George nodded. "Yea! Your hair looks like this girl we both saw coming out of Snape's room one morning. Was highly unexpected, wouldn't you say, Fred?"

Fred nodded. "It was indeed," he nodded.

She found it hard to swallow and narrowed her eyes. "So you two were the one who started that rumour a while ago?" she asked.

Fred shook his head. "Not a rumour. We seen it with our own eyes," he stated with a proud nod.

George nodded in agreement. "We did."

She looked at the two and instantly decided she despised the both of them for being so ridiculously stupid.

"Was really disturbing quite frankly," said George. "We just told a few people and they instantly turned it into some scandal. Really! Why the dirty thoughts? The poor girl had a towel with blood on it, it was obvious enough she got hurt somehow and Snape was nice enough to help her in a time of need," he said with a dramatic nod.

Fred nodded. "Yea! I thought it was sick of people to turn it into some crazy, perverted affair Snape and some student. She looked so small, I mean Severus Snape is a scary and creepy man, but I doubt he would be THAT creepy, said Fred.

George chuckled. "I agree," he said. "We simply stated what we saw and everyone else turned it into a rumour. Ridiculous really," said George with a dramatic huff.

Lilia glanced back and forth between the two of them and decided maybe they weren't so horrendously awful after all. Annoying for certain, and quite possibly stupid, but not horrible all together. If they didn't realize she WAS in fact the girl to leave Snape's room then she wouldn't go into it.

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Platform 9 ¾. Lilia stood looking up at the sign reluctantly and then sighed, looking at the wall she had to go through in order to go home. She would rather fling herself onto the train track and be run over than see that horrendous man again. But then that would give him victory and she refused.

Running through the wall, she appeared on the busy platform in London, clutching the hand bar of her cart. She pushed it ahead and looked around, not seeing him anywhere and for a moment she had a false sense of hope.

She went outside to wait, still seeing no sign of the wicked man, but then she saw that familiar head of light brown hair and those cruel green eyes. His pale skin which she'd inherited along with his eyes stood out to her like a beacon upon a dark street. He wore jeans and a buttoned up shirt with a comfortable jacket on top. Standing near the family car, there he was. Her father. Alex Gunner.

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(( Hooray! Chapter 13 :D I hope you liked it, even if it's short J After I watch movies with my mom and sis I'll see if I can get chapter 13 up for tonight just for fun J Please review and comment! I greatly enjoy hearing from you all :D I love knowing what you think! :D ))