Disclaimer: Harry Potter may not be mine, but I can still have fun with his world.

My Father

Chapter Thirteen

Snape's POV

What to do? What to do?

I paced back and forth in my office, too restless to sit down. My insufferable daughter was weighing heavy on my mind tonight, and try as I might, I could not get the ungrateful brat out of my head.

'Ah, Severus, is she ungrateful though?' a voice in the back of my head said.

Good point. She should be highly resentful of me at the moment. I abandoned her and her mother. Thank you for pointing that out.

'You're welcome.'

Wait a minute! What the bloody hell am I doing, listening to a bloody voice in my head?

You idiot, you're finally cracking up. They told you for years it would happen, and it finally has.

I'm a bloody nutcase. Bloody wonderful.

Anyways, I had to figure out a way to get my daughter to talk to me. She had no clue how much danger she really was in. The Dark Lord was out to find her, and when he did, he would torture her and kill her.

My only daughter, my child, would be murdered because of me.

A sudden surge of guilt pulsed through my veins. If I hadn't chosen the path I had back in my days at Hogwarts as a student, none of this would ever have happened. Of course, this would probably mean that I might not have even had a child now, but who's to say?

You're a bloody fucking screw up, Severus. You're bound for hell either way you look at it.

I couldn't stand it any longer. I swept out of my office, intent on going to the Slytherin common room and forcing Sarai to talk to me. I would do whatever it took to get her to understand things.

I swept through the maze of corridors in the dungeons, finally stopping outside the common room. I gave the password and walked into the darkened room.

My eyes glanced all around, not seeing anyone at first. A second gaze proved me wrong. I caught sight of a brilliantly blonde head just peeking over the top of the couch by the fire.

Draco Malfoy. But wait, there was sliver of black hair on his shoulder that I could see. He was not alone.

My brain quickly put two and two together.

With a couple of long strides, I was across the room in a flash, peering down at the two people on the couch.

My daughter was curled up in the young Malfoy's arms.

Internally, I groaned. This exactly what I had warned the stupid girl about! She had to avoid, at all costs, the things that would put her in danger the most. And this was exactly what Malfoy was. He was an even bigger threat than I was. His father, a good friend of mine, was the Dark Lord's right hand man.

What the bloody hell is she thinking?

I looked down at the two of them again. She was apparently asleep. He was staring into the fire, stroking her hair.

"Sarai! What do you think you're doing?" I demanded harshly.

The younger Malfoy jumped. Sarai shook in her sleep, blearily opening one eye. When she saw me, she sat up in a hurry.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh that's a nice way to greet your father. What are you doing with Mr. Malfoy here?" I demanded again.

Her face became tinged with a slight shade of red. "What do you mean, what am I doing with him? Am I not allowed to have friends now, is that it?"

She was glaring at me coldly. I never knew that glare of mine could be so cold.

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. From what I just saw, it doesn't look like you two are just friends."

Malfoy had laid a hand on her arm, trying to calm her. She shook his hand off and stood up to face me better.

"So what do you care if we're aren't just friends? Am I not allowed to date anyone? Am I just to be completely alone here?" She demanded icily.

"What did I warn you about last week?" I hissed. "Did I not clearly explain to you that you were in danger, and that you needed to avoid all danger at all costs?"

"Yeah, you made that pretty damn clear. So what does Draco have to do with it?" Her voice rose slightly, her eyes unnaturally bright.

Looking at her, I suddenly saw Madeleine. Her eyes used to glow brightly when she would get angry with me.

Flashback

"Come on, Maddie, tell me what I did. I hate when you're angry at me," I pleaded, trying to pick up one of her hands.

She yanked it away. "No matter what I do to try to change you, you resist at all costs."

I sighed. "Maddie, we've had this talk before. No matter what you do, I will not change. This is who I am. If you cannot accept that. . ." I trailed off.

"If I can't accept that, then maybe I should just leave you? Is that it?" Her voice rose and her eyes took on that brightness that only happened when she was really angry.

"That's not what I'm saying. You should realize that I will never change. What you see is what you get."

"Madeleine, I love you," I said firmly, picking up her hand again and holding it firmly. "What do I have to do to prove that to you?"

When she looked up at me again, her eyes were bright from tears. "You never touch me, Severus. You're always so cold. You don't realize it, because you're always so cold to everyone. But you never touch me. I never know what you're feeling, and I feel so alone sometimes. It doesn't feel like you love me."

I stepped closer to her. "I can fix that."

That was the night I lost her forever. I had proved to her that I loved her, and then she saw the Mark. Just when I had got that bright, hard look out of her eyes, and it was back. And now, here was the product of that love, and that same, hard bright look glaring at me.

"Draco has everything to do with it. His father is right in the Dark Lord's inner ring. You're closer to the Dark Lord now than you were before!"

Draco stood up, his normally pale face flushed. "Excuse me, sir, but I made Sarai a promise that I would protect her at all costs. Do you really think that I am willing to give in to my father to give him what the Dark Lord wants?" He demanded angrily.

I surveyed him darkly. "Draco, I know what your father is like. He will do what it takes to get what he wants for the Dark Lord. If he finds out. . ." I trailed off.

"I won't let him get her," he said fiercely.

"You are also sixteen years old. Do you really think you can stand up to the Dark Lord?" I asked him incredulously.

"I know more than you think I do," he hissed.

I snorted. "Right. I'll believe that."

"Why don't you just go away and leave me the hell alone?" Sarai asked, low.

I looked back at her. Her eyes were full of tears. "I am merely trying to get you out of harm's way."

"The hell you are! How can I trust you? How? I don't know you, I don't want to know you, and I sure as hell don't want to trust you."

"Sarai, I am your only chance," I started, but she cut me off.

"Yeah right. That's a bunch of bloody horse shit. You're just trying to get on my good side, to get to know my secrets, my weaknesses, so that the instant he asks, you can just chuck me to the Dark Lord and get rewarded beyond your wildest dreams!"

Draco came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

I think it's time you leave sir. I think you've said enough." he said to me.

There was no point in arguing with them any longer. She wouldn't listen to me no matter what frame of mind she was in. Malfoy wouldn't listen to me either. They were both with each other no matter what I said.

Damn it all to bloody fucking hell.

I stormed out of the common room angrily, my robes billowing out around me as I walked quickly back to my office. I was hardly there, however, when a burning pain on my left arm nearly made my knees buckle.

I shoved back my sleeve. The Mark called me to him.

Oh bloody hell.

This wasn't good. I may be an accomplished Occlumens, but the Dark Lord always knows when someone is lying.

My anger didn't help either.

Fuck.

I made a detour and strode up the stairs to the entrance hall and out the doors. I walked quickly across the moonlit grounds, hoping not to be seen. Once I was outside the gates, I hastily Apparated to my master.

The room was dark as I approached him, standing by the fire. A towering figure, the air around him seemed to radiate coldness and evil.

"Yes, Master? I am here to serve you," I said as I bowed quickly.

He looked around at me. His cold, catlike eyes surveyed me.

"How are you coming along with your daughter?"

I could not lie to him. It would do me no good. It would only earn me a few rounds with the Cruciatus Curse.

"Not so well, I'm afraid," I muttered, bowing my head.

"This does not please me, Severus. I thought I told you that you were to get close to her?"

"You did, Master, but this girl, it is impossible to get through that shell of hers! She's too much like me. Master, she can close her mind off from me! I've tried to penetrate her mind, to get information that way, but it is impossible! I don't think she knows she can do it, but she can, and I can gain nothing from her by just talking to her."

My master did not say anything, he merely stood there looking at me. I knew what he was trying to do, and I made no attempt to stop him. It was pointless.

"You know something, Severus. I can feel it. You are hiding it."

"No, Master, I merely have yet to mention it. There is something, concerning her."

"Well? What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"Master, I have reason to believe that she is involved with the Malfoy boy."

He stood there, thinking. Then, suddenly, a smile, a grotesque smile, lit his merciless face.

"Oh, this is news. This is very good news. Well done, Severus. You have helped Lord Voldemort yet again. This will only further our cause."

He paced around for a few minutes.

Suddenly he stopped.

"Wormtail?" he called imperiously.

Seconds later, a man came darting into the room. He was small, balding, and missing a finger.

"Y-y-yes, Master?"

"Fetch me our dear friend, Lucius. I have news."

The man quickly ran from the room. My master looked back to me.

"Sit down, Severus. We have plans to make."

I did what I was told, although dread rapidly set in. I had just as good as handed my daughter to the Dark Lord.

But I had promised her I would keep her safe.

Filthy fucking hypocrite.