She was done being in a wheelchair now and her time with the mandrake leaf had gone as smooth as possible, a few teachers asked but when she explained she had a sore throat most teachers didn't bother her, the only one that really took notice was McGonagall. She kept a watchful gaze on her student, and once Ace had learned a spell to stick the leaf to the roof of her mouth nothing then bothered, she talked far less because she didn't want people to see, but if a teacher confronted her, she could talk.
Merula had stopped being a problem and the school was about to go into November and all had seemed smooth, Halloween was a hit with the students who grew up in or around muggles, and thanksgiving was well on its way.
Snape had gone out of his way to ignore her, not wanting to deal with her or her loudmouth and snarky remarks.
Bill was slowly making his amends and gaining her trust back too.
The holiday atmosphere had begun and people who couldn't wait for Christmas were getting more excited as the days passed by.
Ace was hoping to go home for Christmas, to make amends with her parents and have a nice Christmas break, but they would soon see.
She was in potions class when she thought about the holidays and her parents, so when Snape had asked her to hover before leaving, she almost didn't hear him and stopped short of walking into a wall before turning and heading back to his desk.
"Yes, Professor Snape?" She manages to squeak out, scared for her grade and what he might do to sabotage her.
"You have detention tonight; I will inform Mr. Filch so do not try and skip it."
"Yes, sir." She mumbles out and tightens her grip around her books.
"Get out of my face." She practically runs out of the room and heads towards DADA, not looking forward to tonight's detention
The rest of her day went smoothly, Cas and Bill all sat together, and everyone acted as friends, Merula hadn't pulled any antics. It was nice to be a regular student, to have no one calling her out, or bullying her, but there was one problem, she wasn't being challenged enough. This had left her bored.
To say she was bored was merely an understatement, she had finished all her assignments, and that included make up and current, so she was trying to busy herself with reading from the library, and so far, that was working.
But there were only so many books to read before she got bored of them, best to take her time with them.
"So, detention with Snape tonight, ey?" Bill says nudging her with a mouthful soup. She nods.
"Yeah, the best part about this, is it's indefinite, so I could be done tomorrow, or I could be done next week.
"What did you do?" Bill asks with mouthful of…something.
"He thinks I was ditching on classes when I was in the hospital." She mumbles not really wanting to touch upon the subject too much. Cas rolls his eyes at an utter annoyance and bill opens his mouth full of food to gawp at her.
"Oi." She snaps at Bill. "Shut your trap, I'm not some celebrity." Confusion spreads across Bill's face before he realizes his mouth is hanging open and closes it.
"That is, unfortunately, Snape for you, he loves to give detention for a lame reason, he means well." A pause. "For the most part." Ace rolls her eyes at the two, there were more pressing matters on her mind other than indefinite detention given by Snape. There were other things like where she was going to go for the holidays.
"Ace." Bill says, snapping his finger in front of her face trying to get her attention.
"Yeah?" She looks up to Bill, and Bill looks to Cas who shrugs.
"We just held an entire conversation without you, are you alright?" She looks away from Bill and over to Cas, he's calms and collected like he's got nothing to worry about. The fact was he didn't.
He had a loving family, parents to go home to, a house, security, he had everything she didn't have. Bill was the same way, even if his family was poor.
How were they supposed to understand her and her feelings and what was going on? They couldn't they wouldn't know the feeling; all they've ever known is family. She's had to strive for it her whole life, and when she got it, it was amazing, but most of the time they stabbed her in the back, betrayed her trust, and almost made her an orphan at the age of ten. No one would understand that pain.
She stood up, and Cas finally gave her the time of day and looked up.
"I'm fine." She swings her legs over the bench and practically runs out of the dining hall.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Bill asks, and Cas eyes her as she walks away until she disappears around the corner.
"I hope so." He goes back to staring at his food.
"You're not gonna go after her?" Cas chuckles at him darkly.
"Now, why, would I do that?" There's a dark glimmer in his eye as he says that, like there's storms brewing in his eyes. Bill didn't like it; in fact, it was disturbing.
"You're twisted, you are." Bill says beginning to get up and head after her.
"I wouldn't follow her."
"What would you know about what I should and shouldn't do for her?" Cas just raises his eyebrow at the young Gryffindor.
"Just because you're a prefect doesn't mean you get to gallivanting off and invading people's privacies." Cas leans forward. "Now sit your arse, down." Bill stares at him, ready to challenge and once again fight him if absolutely needed.
Bill draws and sits back down.
Ace was to put it lightly, very and completely lost. She was past the dungeons now, deeper into the castle than ever before, perhaps even further than the headmaster himself had been. What was once cobblestone walls of the castle and dungeons, and now become dirt walls with roots running through it.
She was under the castle now, should this cave collapse she would be lost, and no one would know, not like it really mattered, she only had two friends, and her parents didn't care for her anymore.
What loss would it be if she were to die down here?
None.
She ventured further and further down, the dirt became roots, and the small narrow walkway had suddenly become taller and larger, with branches and roots forming together to create a room.
Dirt covered the floor, proving that this room, this area, had never been found. There was light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once and then she saw snakes in the background.
It was stone mural, two snakes entwined in a Celtic knot, devouring each other. This was familiar to Ace, like she had seen it before once long ago.
There also seemed to be a small pool of water with lights coming from it. Electric eels perhaps? Or just enchanted water?
"What are you doing in here, child?" Comes a man's voice, and Ace snaps her head to see a man standing off to the left of the cave eyeing her. He was young, but out of his time judging from his clothes.
"Why are you dressed weird?" Comes Ace's response, and the man rolls his eyes. He had nice features, strong jaw, brown eyes, tan skin, and warm brown hair that reminded her of chocolate.
"You're a pureblood." It sounded more like a question than a statement, and to that Ace looks down to the ground.
"I don't know, I don't think so, I was adopted, all I know is I have magic."
"That wasn't a question child, that was an observation." He snaps.
"How do you mean, Sir?" She's startled by the statements he's been making, she couldn't be a pureblood, she was adopted, surely if she was a pureblood her family would have wanted her.
"I can sense your magic; I can also tell you have the founders' blood within you. Pray tell, child, what's your house?" She seizes up this man in front of her, she had never met someone more bizarre than him, well perhaps Headmaster, but still…
"Slytherin." The man raises his eyebrows at her, and a small smile stretches across his lips.
"How fascinating." He pulls out a chain with a locket hanging from it. "Do you know what this is?"
"It looks like a necklace sir."
"It was Salazar Slytherin's locket, one of the four founders of the school, and his namesake is your house." He takes a few steps forward.
"So?"
"Come here child, tell me if you can hear it speak to you." Ace walks towards the man before her, slowly but surely getting closer to him. Her head was getting fuzzy, and then as she got close enough to reach out and touch the man before her, the locket spoke to her. He read her face, saw she could hear its voices, and he knew exactly who she was. "What does it say child?"
"Welcome. You are an heir. You have my permission."
"I'm an heir, and I have permission from it." The man smiled slyly, his plan that would have taken years to begin, could start now.
"Then, it's yours." He hands it out to her, and she gingerly takes it, letting the locket rest in her hands.
"What does it mean that I'm an heir?" She looks up to the man. "And you never said who you were."
"You're an heir of Salazar Slytherin, just like me, and you can call me brother. My name is unimportant." She just stares her eyes barring into his eyes, evaluating and judging. "You shouldn't tell anyone of your history, you'll be ostracized even more than you were." He taps the necklace laying in her hands and it transforms into a delicate gold chain, and the locket turned into the mural on the wall, with emeralds for eyes. It was feminine and beautiful, and inconspicuous.
"Why did you hide it's true form?"
"People judge us for our history, best to keep our heirlooms a secret until absolutely necessary to bring out." She nods in understanding, perhaps she should take that to heart and apply that to her school life. "You should get back, it's getting late."
"But I've only just gotten here." She didn't understand why she protested, she barely knew this man, but she also knew they were connected in blood. Her first hint at finding out who she was. She wanted to know her bloodline, she wanted to find her parents.
"Time passes differently here, dear sister. You wouldn't want to be late for detention, now would you?" Her eyes go wide, surely it couldn't be that late, she just came from lunch. He had to be joking, but he was right, she needed to get back. "Stop starring and go." She turns and runs back the way she came and within seconds she's back at the entrance to the Slytherin dorm rooms.
Cas was standing at the entrance eating an apple.
"So, what happened to you?"
"You're never gonna believe it. Is dinner over?" Cas rolls his eyes and smiles.
"I've saved you food, but you need to head to Snape, or it'll just get worse for you." He says the password to the common room. "Oh, and keep your mouth shut." He walks into the common room leaving Ace by herself. Everyone was being cryptic lately, and she found herself asking why that was.
Why was there a need to hide something, what was so dark and dangerous that needed keeping from her? Or maybe it wasn't a what but a who.
She made the short trip to Snape's classroom; the door was shut so she knocked and then entered.
No one was at the desk, the room was empty besides the desks and chairs for the students, and the wall of ingredients necessary for potions.
There were voices coming from his office, a female and then of course the other voice belonged to Snape.
She inched closer, eager to make the conversation, to figure out what exactly was going on in this school. Maybe this would shed some light on all the mystery going on in this school.
"I have talked to Headmaster about your behavior," Comes Snape's voice, cool as the dungeon itself.
"And we have agreed that with all the trouble and damage you have caused- "
"I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't done anything!" Merula, that was Merula's voice.
"Don't think I didn't find out that you caused the injury to Skotadi." He scolds her.
"She snitched?" Merula seemed shocked for some reason, and Skotadi never told Snape, so how did he find out?
"She didn't need to say anything Ms. Snyde, it's not hard to put together that you hate her simply because she challenges you."
"I'm not threatened by her, I'm better than her." Was the dreaded potions master fending for her? Why would anyone do that for her, she was nothing. She didn't mean anything to anyone. She never has, so why was defending her against Merula.
"Your grades say otherwise." Merula doesn't say anything just huffs. "You are forbidden to attend the field trip to Hogsmeade until further notice. Now, get out of my sight." Ace goes to knock on the door but Merula flings it open and glares art Ace and then goes to open her mouth to make a comment.
"Say one word against Skotadi and I will make sure you receive detention until Christmas break." Merula holds her tongue but not for long.
"Teachers whore." She whispers and pushes past Skotadi. Ace is shocked at what she said. She would never do such a thing with a teacher thirteen years her senior. Let alone with the dungeon bat.
She's out of the classroom before Snape can give her a detention or scold her.
"Why weren't you in your classes after lunch today?"
"I don't know sir." Snape stares at her, her green eyes swirling with determination to not give up what she was really doing. Then he sees her wrist, the gold chain and the snake symbol. He recognized that symbol, he'd see it through the death eaters. The mark of Slytherin's bloodline, and here it was once again before him. Once again reminding him of his past and wat he did, the people he betrayed and the family he destroyed.
Lilly…
Her name lights up in his head like fireworks. Why did this girl seem to continually remind of his lost love, what was her reason for doing this to him? Was she doing it on purpose?
Of course, she was, why else would she be getting into so much trouble.
But how would she know of his past without checking the archives, did she even know where the archives were? Probably not, no one knew unless they were given detention to sort through the files and organize them. A detention to be arranged for another time perhaps.
"You're a terrible liar, Skotadi. What are you holding?" He knew what it was, but did she know what it was, did she understand what it meant to have a mark of Slytherin, the stereotypes and hazing she would get? If she thought Merula was terrible now, imagine the rest of the school joining in. The only people who had respect her would be her house. If she didn't know, there was no need to tell her, no need to hurt her even more.
The claim of Salazar's blood left questions open if anyone were to find out. Was she daughter of the monster that cause darkness to fall upon the wizarding world? Or was she a lost member of the bloodline, never to have been recorded and somehow escaped. The wizarding world followed all founders blood closely, especially since merlin made history.
Speaking of Merlin, could she be the long-lost heir to him, Merlin himself was an heir to Slytherin himself.
"I don't know..." She trails off looking at the chain wrapped around her wrist. "It just appeared in one of my drawers." It was a lie; the best lies she's ever been able to pull. She was proud of herself for that.
"If…" Does he dare say anything to her, let her know that her life could be in trouble should anyone find her out, or does he just tell her to keep it hidden and never let on what it could be. "I was you," He decides in a split second to tell her to keep it hidden. She didn't need the burden of ringing to figure out her parentage even more than she already was. Let alone being told that she may have a direct link to Voldemort himself. It's a good thing family trees weren't readily available in the school library, otherwise there would be a high probability she would have found her bloodline already. "I would keep that hidden from most people's sight."
"May I ask- "
"It's an expensive piece and people tend to have sticky fingers around high value items." Snape stands up and she moves to the side to let Snape pass through the door and into the classroom. "I need you to clean all the cauldrons, I'm doing labs tomorrow and if even one piece of dust is left, I can have major issues." She stands next to Snape looking at all the cauldrons laid out on the desk with cleaning supplies.
"Yes, sir." She says and walks up to the first table, but before she can even begin Snape holds out his hand.
"Your wand." He purrs, and he looks up from his hand to his eyes.
"Why?"
"Detention is about teaching you a lesson, and you're going to learn it without magic." He extends his hand slightly further waiting for her to give it to him.
"What lesson would that be, Professor?" He narrows his eyes at her and glares.
"To stop lying. Wand, now. Give me." She reluctantly takes it out of her cloak pocket and pushes it down into his hand. He gingerly wraps his hand around her wand briefly grazing her skin. He studies her as this happens.
Her eyes shoot up to his, looking for something in them, compassion maybe, but like usual there was nothing. She quickly looks to the floor and lets go of her wand and is free of his grip. She looked, disappointed…
Why?
To Professor Snape, it was merely a brief passing of human contact, but to her she saw emotions behind that steely gaze and cold demeanor of his. There was more to him than just the dungeon bat persona he put up, she knew there was, she just never knew she would be able to see it from a brief touch of their hands.
"Get to work." He heads back to his office her wand still in his hand. "You may have your wand once you're done."
"This is going to take all night, sir." Snape opens his door light shines on him from the office. He turns his head to look over her shoulder, he was almost threatening with this half-light on him.
"Then, I suggest, you get started." He walks through the door closing it behind him.
She walks over to the first of many cauldrons, and with cleaning supplies in hand, she begins to clean.
This really was going to take all night, a high volume of cauldrons and little cleaning supplies. She wets the rag with the cleaner and sticks her arm into the cauldron, scrubbing the bottom.
She never would have expected to see her eyes swirling around in his head. She was nothing, she meant nothing, surely, they couldn't have been her eyes, maybe they were a sister or friend, or even a lover. Could Snape have had a lover? Not possible, no one could love him, he was just, too much of everything for anyone to love him.
So. Why then, did he feel regret, love, and loss? Who were those feelings for? Who was she?
She? Was that the conclusion she came to, that Snape's person was a she? Or could it be a he, Maye it was brother he hurt or had been hurt by. Maybe a father figure in his lie? No, these emotions were too strong and too raw, especially his love, to not be a woman or important female figure in his life.
Where did she fit in? Did he know her from school or later in life? Was she a one-night stand, or a good friend? So many questions, and she knew she would never get the answers, she wasn't Snape's favorite, nor did he take an interest in her. He was repulsed by her and took every opportunity to avoid her if he could.
Yet he willingly touched her, or was it unwillingly? He had asked for her wand, and she was the one that touched him, not the other way around; he didn't shudder at her touch, or even flinch, perhaps he wasn't as repulsed by her as she thought. She wouldn't know unless she asked.
She couldn't just come straight out and ask him his feelings towards her, that wasn't acceptable, and it was profoundly inappropriate too. She could ask him questions near to it to see his reactions and get responses close enough to answer her main question.
But, what to ask?
"Skotadi." Comes his voice, and she whips around spilling the cleaning supplies. Snape seemed prepared for her clumsiness and froze everything midair.
"How did you- "She stumbles out, shocked at his swiftness.
"I've come to realize that in the few months you've been a student here, you are the most prone to accidents, better to be prepared than underprepared with you." She blushes red, and Snape could almost see her turn colors in the dim light, but it wasn't bright enough.
"I'm sorry, Sir." She looks down to the floor, even more embarrassed than before.
"It's three in the morning Skotadi, return to your chambers." She sets the polishing rag down and Snape sets the cleaning supplies right with another soundless spell. She pulls her cloak closer not realizing how cold she was and walks away from Snape. "Wait." He enunciates perfectly. "Come here." She turns and walks up to Snape and cowers. He pulls out her wand and holds it out for her to grab, and at his motion she flinches. Had he not been paying attention; he would never have caught it.
Insolent muggle parents.
Yet had he himself not known her position, known what she had been through, not even a little?
Of course, he knew, he couldn't deny, his history made him who he is now.
"Good night, Sir." The door closes behind her and he's left with his thoughts. What is going on with him, he's never felt compassion for a student before, this had to end before it got any further. How would he end whatever they had; you can't end something that never really began? What he could do was no longer personally oversee the detentions, refuse to acknowledge outside of class, and do what he did best, be the dungeon bat.
I could hurt her…
That didn't matter, he didn't care for students, so why now, why suddenly was one student affecting him like this. She was just a student either, she was under his tutelage, he oversaw Slytherin house and she was in it.
No, she wasn't just in Slytherin, she is a Slytherin. Which meant he had a duty to take her under her wing. It would be what Voldemort wanted; he had made that clear to Severus on several occasions.
"There are rumors, my lord, that you have an offspring." Black eyes meet the Dark Lord's red ones and a thin smile spreads on his lips.
"They are just rumors, Severus. You should know that unless it comes directly from it is false."
"Yes, my lord." Severus turns away from Voldemort, and Voldemort makes one very quick, but very rash decision.
"Severus, I have a job for you." Severus freezes.
"Yes, my lord?"
"You said Dumbledore has given you a job inside Hogwarts?" Voldemort was growing tired, he would need to rest soon, he could be kept much longer.
"Yes, my lord."
"I want you to keep an eye out for anyone who may be of direct lineage to Slytherin. Should they step foot into the school, you will personally see to their education and advancement throughout their following years. Take them under your wing, so to speak. I want you to train them, and when they are old enough, they will join us amongst the ranks of the death eaters."
"I understand my lord."
What was Severus to do, if he didn't train this girl, Voldemort would end his life, but if he did train this girl, there was no telling in just how close they would become, and he couldn't risk having an attachment. Not with his double agency, she could slip up and let Voldemort know o his plans. She had a natural ability to project her emotions and memories too, Snape had experienced firsthand.
If, he was going to train her like Voldemort had asked of him, he would have to train her in occlumency, and that would just be the start.
He would have to inform Dumbledore of what the Dark Lord had asked of him too. This wasn't going to be easy; this was going to be very hard and take just about everything out of him to do what had been asked.