(( SO glad you guys are all so into the last two chapters :D Haha, I was hoping for an awesome reaction and I definitely got it :P So thanks for that! Very thrilled at the reactions I received ^^ So how awesome does it feel to be past the 50 chapter mark! :D I feel so proud that my story made it this far :D haha So here you are J Chapter 52! I hope you all enjoy it greatly :D
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter… or Severus Snape… or Lucius Malfoy… What an utter disappointment that fact is to wake up to each morning, don't you agree? Dx lmao ))
.
.
.
No Halowe'en feast… No decorations, no pumpkins, no candy, no streamers, no excitement. October the 31st, and there wasn't any indication that there would be any cheerfulness or delight in correspondence to the date.
"Figured as much…" Dawn muttered, clearly disappointed by the lack of chocolate and candy. "The school seems so… boring ever since Snape became headmaster…" she said and looked over at Lilia for her reaction.
Lilia merely shrugged faintly, picking at her dinner without much of an appetite.
Dawn frowned, not having expected such a reactionless reaction. She then sighed and turned back to her food, picking at it then as well. She then ate a little and glanced up, looking around the hall.
"How come you haven't asked for a while?" Lilia suddenly asked Dawn.
Dawn turned to look at Lilia with a curious expression. "Sorry?"
Lilia looked up from her still relatively full plate and met Dawn's gaze. "How come you haven't been asking me for a while about hints?" she asked.
Dawn frowned. "Hints?"
Lilia sighed. "Hints about a certain someone? I miss them…" she said.
Dawn felt slightly nervous but then smiled weakly. "I guess I forgot…" she murmured.
Lilia looked down at her plate again and nodded. "I figured… I can't blame you, in this environment I mean," she said.
Dawn smiled. "Hmm… I suppose not…" she said thoughtfully. "Alright… let's see…" she thought carefully, not sure if Lilia was ready to have Dawn know who she was seeing. She didn't want to ask something that would alarm Lilia and leave her feeling utterly panicked. "Does he smile ever?" she asked.
Lilia blinked and glanced at Dawn. "I would be severely concerned if he did, to be honest," she explained.
Dawn laughed, in her mind having to agree, the thought of Professor Snape smiling just being so disturbing to her and no doubt to Lilia as well. Well… at least in that sense he wasn't so different in private? Dawn could only assume.
After they finished their dinner, Lilia and Dawn proceeded up to the Slytherin common room, looking forward to a good night's rest which had been long overdue with their massive piles of homework and rigorous tests they'd had to undergo under Amycus Carrow's watchful eye.
The two friends made their way up to the dormitory and undressed, climbing into their beds when they had changed accordingly and lay down to sleep the night away, no Hallowe'en celebration or special surprise taking place obviously.
.
.
.
It was like the months somehow dragged on, but not at an alarmingly slow rate. Time seemed to fly and within a few weeks the first snowfall had occurred.
The students had been at least granted permission to leave for the holidays so they could visit their parents and families, and those who stayed behind were allowed to have those two weeks or so off from classes to do as they pleased.
Lilia wasn't the least bit surprised to find that she and Severus would not be going home that Christmas either. As depressing as Spinner's End was, it was a home to her and she missed it sorely. Mostly, she missed the closeness she and Severus could have there without prying eyes watching them… Wormtail being sorely ignored in such situations.
That evening though, Lilia tried to find him in the large old school, failing to do so. She frowned, having gone and knocked on his bed chamber doors, gone to his office and even went into his study, all the while failing to see him anywhere. Even in the halls, she hadn't glimpsed that usual black clad individual anywhere.
Figuring there would be no luck anyways, she headed back to the Slytherin common room, finding Dawn there, working on something. She curiously walked over and raised a brow. "What's that?"
Dawn shrieked and covered up what she was doing, glowering over her shoulder at Lilia. "Don't look! This is a secret!" she exclaimed.
Lilia blinked, looking at her in surprise. "What?"
She sighed. "It's your Christmas present," she whined, covering it with a few textbooks. "I don't want it ruined," she said.
Lilia looked at her in surprise. She was suddenly very touched that Dawn was… MAKING something for her. It wasn't a dress from what she could tell, but just the fact that Dawn was taking the time to genuinely make her something warmed Lilia's heart for the first time since school had started. She smiled and moved back. "Alright. I won't look," she assured her friend with a grin. "Can I have a hint though?"
Dawn laughed. "No, you may not," she said and smirked up at her.
Lilia pretend pouted. "Oh what a shame," she said and sighed, crossing her arms.
Dawn sniggered. "Go find your boyfriend for a while," she said and waved her away. "I want to finish this tonight," she laughed.
Lilia shook her head, deciding it was best not to mention she couldn't actually FIND Severus right now. With that, she slipped out of the common room again to merely go for a walk.
.
.
.
She sat in Severus's chair in the headmaster's office, looking up at Dumbledore's painting. "You genuinely hold trust in what he is doing?" she asked him.
He nodded, his light blue eyes inspecting her curiously. "Do you not?"
She sighed, looking down. "I trust him. It's just… he's a very good pretender… when it comes to being on certain sides of the fight, I mean," she said, resting her head back and closed her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder, if presented with the opportunity to gain something out of it, would he truly join up on Voldemort's side and leave all of us here behind?"
Dumbledore sighed audibly. "Miss. Gunner. Do you think that what the Death Eaters are doing here now is the worst of their abilities?"
She looked up at him. "It's pretty bad already," she stated calmly.
He chuckled softly. "Dear girl, the things they do now are a mere fraction of their abilities. The reason they don't do as they please entirely is because Severus makes sure they do not… he may not seem like it but he is looking out for the students here," he said.
She looked up at him uncertainly.
He smiled at her. "Especially you," he assured her.
She blushed, looking down stubbornly when she heard a snigger from one of the previous headmasters.
Sighing, she got out of the chair. "I think I should go before someone catches me in here," she said, moving out from behind the desk.
She jumped and gasped, flopping back into the chair when Severus apparated into the Headmaster's office without any warning.
Severus frowned, looking at her. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded to know.
She looked at him in surprise. "I was looking for you. I couldn't find you, and Dawn wasn't letting me sit with her because she's making my Christmas present, so I came back here and decided to wait a while," she shrugged.
"It's true," Dumbledore nodded. "You've been neglecting her it seems," he said.
Severus frowned.
Lilia glowered up at Dumbledore's portrait, then looked at Severus. "If you don't want me here, then I can go," she shrugged.
He shook his head. "It's late, come," he said and motioned for her to follow as he headed towards the doorway.
She followed, glancing back at Dumbledore who offered a wink and a slight smile. She felt her cheeks flush and she quickly turned away, following Severus out into the nearly empty hallways. "So where did you go?" she asked.
He glanced at her while they walked. "A meeting," he said shortly.
She looked at him with a raised brow. "A meeting that require… oh…" she said and her eyes widened slightly, turning back to watch the hall in front of her.
He nodded.
"Are you being careful when you attend these meetings?"
He frowned. "I already told you I would try to be," he said.
She sighed, nodding, figuring this was about the most of a promise she would get from him.
They reached the Slytherin common room and she looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not coming with you?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I have things I still need to discus with others," he said calmly. "Perhaps another night."
She looked at him slightly disappointed and nodded, moving to open the Slytherin common room door with the password and stepped inside, glancing back at him. "Goodnight."
He nodded, turning away and headed back towards the Headmaster's office.
Sighing, Lilia proceeded up to the dormitory, smiling when she saw Dawn just changing. "Night," she said.
Dawn smiled at her. "Night," she responded, climbing into her bed and turning out the light.
Lilia sat in the dark bed chamber for a some time, deciding to skip changing and went to sleep for the night, only hoping Severus really would be as careful as he said he was trying to be.
.
.
.
(( Okay so it's a short chapter! BUT I have a very good reason for rushing it and cutting it short this time _ … I'm gonna see HP 7 Part 2 in a few hours ;) Mhmm, so I defs gotta get ready for that lol, Gotta pack my Puffs tissues for sure xDDDD Anywho! I can't wait to enjoy it all in 3D and sob my eyeballs right out of their sockets today over Severus Snape's death TT_TT I cried when I read the book… so I can only imagine how much I'm gonna be wailing after the movie xDDD Anyways! I shall work harder tomorrow for the chapter :D Hope that's alright with you all xD ))
