It was raining outside. I hadn't noticed when I was working on supper with Yara.
I stepped into the rain and felt raindrops falling on my head and dripping down my face. I liked the feeling. The drops on my coat dripped down and fell on the wet ground.
I walked down the street. The rain wetted my jeans, but I couldn't care, so I soaked further.
The houses in the streets were all different. Big, small, black, white, floral gardens and not so floral gardens. I looked at them, but actually didn't care. I wanted to go to somewhere I felt more alone, instead of feeling watched by the people in the houses.
I walked through another street and found myself at the edge of the village. The view was nice. Meadows with cows and sheep. Ditches between some rectangles of grass. And at the far end, the edge of a forest.
A walk in the forest seemed nice. Clearing my head while looking at the light that coming through the leaves.
I walked over a road next to a ditch. The water was dirty and covered with duckweed. I imagined how I would feel if I pushed one of the officers into it. It would make me smile for sure.
Reaching the forest edge wasn't a big achievement, but I felt like I had climbed a mountain.
I walked over a created path through the woods. The leaves of the trees hung over it. Some sunlight shone through the holes, just like I had imagined it.
The last time I had been in a forest was with Severus to search for ingredients for his potions.
With Severus, I thought sadly. But everything will be over by tomorrow.
I had not even noticed it had stopped raining. My jeans was still soaked. But I noticed nothing of my surroundings right now. I was too deep in reverie.
How would he do? Those people have tortured him. Questioning him in the middle of the night. Not letting him sleep. Not letting him wash himself. Those people. Those horrible people. I would avenge Severus by succeeding in not letting the police know any information. My revenge will be sweet. So sweet... Their irritated faces- the faces of losers- would give me a good feeling. Who said revenge couldn't be sweet?
Would they break Severus before tomorrow? Would he know it is over by tomorrow? How would he do? And why am I thinking about him so much? I know I have already thought about this in the hospital, but do I really like him that much? Or is it because it is kind of my fault we are in this situation? I don't know.
I sighed. There was a lot I didn't know. About my magic things for example. What has just happened...
I have blown up the complete dish! I have blown up some things in the past, but never food. A smile appeared on my face. The thought made me partly happy and partly woeful. I had no idea how to handle my powers... my magical powers. They were good and bad at the same time. Predictable and unpredictable. magnificent and ugly. And Severus said they would be shaped when I was older. At a school, 'Hogwarts'.
Hogwarts. How would that look like? Would I get a wand just like Severus? That would be cool.
I walked further into the forest. My jeans felt a bit dryer. I had no idea for how long I had already been walking, but I had no intentions in walking back to that house yet. I had to get back at a certain point, cause otherwise the officers couldn't pick me up and reunite me with Severus, but I could get back later. Later.
How would he react when he sees me? Angry? Very likely. Happy to see me? Maybe, but probably not. Praise me for my good job at keeping my mouth shut about all the magic? Very unlikely. Snape wasn't the person to mess with, so he would probably be angry at everything. The police, me and everything that would cross his path the upcoming days.
I sighed. I would probably do the same if I was in his position.
I imagined Severus in a prison cell like I had been in at the beginning of my search. Alone. Cold. Exhausted due to a lack of sleep. And feeling dirty, because he couldn't wash himself. The thought was horrible.
Walking past a green bush, I noticed something growing underneath, a small green plant, plantain. I kneeled down at to examine the plant.
I remembered plantain was a remedy to nettle. Severus had taught me that when we had been looking for ingredients for his potions. I remembered I had accidentally touched nettle. He had cured it with plantain.
Severus was a good man for sure. However, I was also sure a lot of people wouldn't notice that behind his facade of gruffness. People normally don't take the time to learn to know someone. They have their judgment ready immediately after seeing someone. In Severus case, people had to take the time to see his good intentions, but most people are not used to do that. I didn't know, but I could imagine he had not many friends. Sad. Cause Severus would make a good friend. And everyone needed friends. I could only guess how lonely he sometimes must have felt.
I missed him. I hoped he missed me too. I hoped he liked me in the way I liked him. As family. But I was nearly sure he didn't. Severus was aloof and I wasn't sure if he had already made a start in liking me, even though he worried about my wellbeing sometimes.
Severus had worried about me when I wanted to fly on a broomstick. He had worried about me when I wanted to know about the Dark Arts. I felt delight all over my body when I realised that he had to feel something about me if he was so worried.
Severus had cared for me and actually tried to make me feel comfortable in his house and around him. He had taken me to the woods to teach me things about plants. He had let me read all of his books. He had even given me my own room to sleep. And not to forget, he had shown me his basement full of precious potion stuff...
The basement! I hoped the police had not found the basement, cause that would be a disaster. All kinds of magical things were down there. Things like the unicorn hair and the other stuff he had shown me. What would the police do with that kind of stuff? Examine it? Keep him longer in custody? That was a likely consequence. However, the officers had said they would release him tomorrow, so it was unlikely they had found it.
But what have they found besides his books? I knew he had a broomstick, but would that thing fly without the use of magic? Probably not.
What would he have more? What kind of magical things would he have in his house? He had his wand of course. He always had it in his pocket. The police would have it now. That was for sure. But they couldn't do something with it... right?
How would wands actually work? Would a wand only work for magical people or also for non-magical people? How did Severus call those people... Muggles? I thought about it for a while.
Would I get my own wand? I wondered. That would be cool.
Trees grew closer together as I went further into the forest. Trees got more and more branches and less light could reach the ground through the leaves.
In the distance I could see the end of the path. An open circle filled with nice, green grass on which the dew of the just fallen rain sparkled in the sunlight.
I decided to stop my walk there and take a well-deserved pause.
Reaching the place wasn't a big challenge, but staying there felt harder. I had the feeling someone was watching me. However, when I walked into the circle, I saw no one. I looked back at the path, but no one to see. Strange. Maybe I was just imagining it. I was a bit tired.
At that moment, I heard creaking, creaking of moving leaves and branches. I looked at the source and saw a cat. I decided to let the cat be and take my well-deserved pause.
I had just wanted to sit in the middle of the circle when the cat walked towards me. I watched it in bewilderment. Cats never just walked towards strangers. Normally they are pretty skittish, but this one was apparently an exception to the rule.
I kept on staring at the approaching cat. It's green eyes were focussed on me and I just stared back with my black ones.
When the cat was half way, it started to… transform. Transform into... transform into a... human!
I wanted to run away, but stumbled over my own feet. I fell on the ground and gathered myself to quickly get up and run again, but a pair of black, pointy shoes blocked my way.
I looked up and saw an old woman in a green robe with a green witch hat on her head. She looked well-groomed. Her hair was nicely combed under her hat and her clothes had no stains or creases. She reminded me of Severus in a way.
I had been scared for a moment, but the woman seemed friendly and just looked at me, expectantly.
What was she expecting from me? To run away? The only thing I did at the moment was looking at her with a dropped mouth. I had no idea what to do.
"Hello," the woman said nicely. "My name is Minerva McGonagall. And you must be Ellea, am I right?"
I nodded slowly still gazing at the woman from the ground.
"That must not be a very comfortable position you are lying right now," she said while raising her eyebrows. "Here, let me give you a hand."
She extended her hand and while I had doubted if I should take it for a moment, I took it.
"You don't have to be afraid. I am a friend of your father, Severus Snape, and Dumbledore. You have already met him, as I have heard."
I nodded again.
"I have heard you and Severus are in a bit of trouble right now, am I right?" she asked even though the woman knew the answer. She was clearly aware of everything that was going on.
"Well... a bit... I think it's more than just a bit, but it's fixed by tomorrow," I replied a bit timidly.
"What do you mean?" The woman asked confused.
"I mean that the police will release him tomorrow morning."
"How do you know that?" she asked curiously.
"Well, I have heard some officers say that today. They said he doesn't talk, so they don't have any evidence against him."
"I see." she responded.
"Well, I am here to help you two anyway," she said politely.
"How do you actually know about our problems? I didn't call for help. I didn't get the chance. Did Severus contact you?"
"No," she replied. "No, he hasn't, but we know it thanks to The Daily Prophet. You two were at the front page! You two really drew some unwanted attention. Every wizard could read how those officers infiltrated the house of the Potions Master of Hogwarts, arrested him, took his apparent daughter and almost discovered the Wizarding World and a lot of its secrets." Till my surprise she had not sounded angry. More irritated and grumpy.
"So, the complete Wizarding World knows about our problem and that their world might be discovered, but you are the only one who comes to help us?" I asked unbelievingly.
She gave me a disapproving look. "For now at least. Dumbledore rushed to the Ministry after he had heard about you two. He had to talk and convince the Ministry he should handle the situation. After a while they finally gave him permission. And he has sent me."
"Why did they gave him permission? Does he have a good plan?"
She gave me another disapproving look. "I know you are raised in a Muggle family, so I will take these comments for now," she said strictly. "Albus Dumbledore is one of the most powerful and respected men in the entire Wizarding World, if he isn't the MOST powerful and MOST respected. He is very wise and has a large knowledge about a lot of aspects of magic. He is very respected in the Ministry as well. He has helped them a lot in the past, so I think they trust him with this, even though not everyone likes it he takes this case over."
"So, do you have a plan or do I just have to wait till tomorrow? I mean, that was kind of my plan," I asked her straight away.
She had clearly not expected that question and stammered a bit when she said: "well, actually I had, but now I think we have to do something else."
"What do I need to do?" I asked her. "Well, thanks to your new information, you don't need to do anything."
"Really? No other plan?"
"You need to go back to that house and don't tell anyone just like you have already done."
I nodded.
"Know that we are watching you two. You are not alone. We help you." She smiled friendly and I smiled back.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome dear."
McGonagall turned around, walked a few steps and transformed herself back into her cat form. I watched her doing so and looked in awe.
The cat looked back one time, blinked and then ran off into the woods.
The cat had disappeared quickly out of my eyesight, but I still stared in the direction she had gone to and thought: Transforming into a cat... that's awesome.
Author's Note:
Hey reader!
There is also a new chapter for The Magical Daughter (Snape's perspective) story, which you can find in the stories I have written. It's chapter six. And there will be no chapter(s) next week due to this.