Petal in the Rain
Chapter 21 – A Half Split in Two
Everything about you pains my envying,
Your soul can't hate anything.
Everything about you is so easy to love,
They're watching you from above.
Give me all the peace and joy in your mind…
-Muse
Alohomora…Lumos…Petrificus Totalus…Wingardium Lev—
"MY WORD! There you are, dear girl!" a high-pitched, jovial voice sounded from above Lily's sleeping head, causing her to jolt out of her semi-conscious slumber and emit a reactionary yelp. "There, there, my lady! No need for alarm, I assure you!"
Lily's gaze shifted from her textbook-covered desk to the floating figure above her—a figure which, to her utter confusion, was both transparent and outfitted in medieval hose and a neck ruffle.
"Please, you must pardon me, dear Aurora! You see, I was so glad to discover you that I acted without a second thought! So discourteous of me to creep up on you while you are hard at work, studying like a scholarly Ravenclaw!"
Lily rubbed her scratchy eyes with the knuckles of her hands, second-guessing the sight before her, then squinted up at the ghost again, willing her cognitive motor skills to kick in. "S-Sir Nicholas?" she questioned blearily.
"Yes! It is I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, resident ghost of the noble House of Gryffindor!" the ghost cheerily announced in a thick accent, clearly a fan of his long-winded title.
"Well…er…good morning to you," Lily managed inelegantly, looking out one of the classroom's windows to confirm it was, indeed, morning.
Damn, when did I fall asleep?
"Dear lady, I implore you to call me Nick," the lordly apparition insisted gallantly, his white mustache curling over his smiling lips. "All the students refer to me as such. I'd like to think I am the sort of ghost who any questioning youth could turn to, and I certainly am not adverse to becoming acquainted with students—although I must, of course, ensure that the rules and principles of this fine institution are upheld!"
Lily blinked as the loquacious spectre continued to blather. "—I must admit, I tend to turn a blind eye to some of my Gryffindor students. I just can't bring myself to snitch on fellow Gryffindors. We are a loyal bunch, though not as loyal as the Hufflepuffs—that is their renowned characteristic, after all. Of course, if a Gryffindor student were to perform a particularly immoral act in my presence, I would certainly step in…but I would just hate to be the reason the House loses points…although it would ultimately fall upon the shoulders of the student in question. Then again, most Gryffindor students are quite moral, so—"
Good God, it's too early for this…
"So sorry to interrupt, Sir Nick, but was there a reason you were looking for me?" Lily interjected as kindly as she could, batting her eyelashes apologetically.
"Ah yes, of course! That little house-elf of yours dispatched a few of us to find you. The Bloody Baron, Fat Friar and Grey Lady are all still searching for you, I'm sure. I must say, I'm not at all surprised I was the one to find you: I have a natural knack for discovery. Now if only the headless hunt would recognize what an excellent addition I would be to such a—"
"Ah…sorry…but did Mimi say why she was looking for me?" Lily intersected again, wishing the friendly apparition would get to the point. "I just don't want to worry her…"
"Do not apologize, dear girl! I often get carried away," Nick chuckled heartily, his partially severed head wobbling dangerously on his neck as he laughed; Lily hid her disgust with an uncomfortable smile. "The house-elf—Mimi, did you call her?—wanted to prepare you for breakfast with Headmaster Dumbledore this morning. Apparently he has scheduled a lovely meal. An old favourite of mine, Lord Frank Longbottom, is to dine with the two of you as well. You know, Lord Longbottom really was one of the most skilled Gryffindors to ever pass through these hallowed halls. He was a marvelous Quidditch player, along with Lord Pot—"
She sighed. He was too sweet to be truly annoying.
"Thank you for informing me, Sir Nick. I don't mean to offend, but I really must get back to Gryffindor tower to ready myself for breakfast," Lily intruded before the ghost could embark on another verbal tirade. "If you could point me in the direction of the staircase, I'd be much obliged."
"The pleasure it all mine, Lady Aurora! The staircase is just down that corridor," Nick explained chivalrously, pointing left. "You know, when I first began haunting this school, the staircases—"
Before Sir Nick could finish his next sentence, Lily offered a cordial curtsy before gathering up her books and rushing into the hallway. As she hurried toward her dormitory—desperate for a shower and fresh clothing—she began to think of all the spells she had read about the night before, a feeling of accomplishment swelling in her chest.
Frank jogged down a flight of moving stairs from his second-floor accommodations, absentmindedly fiddling with the cuffs of his dress shirt. He stepped into the sun-drenched Great Hall and hurriedly crossed the large space, taking no notice of his amazing surroundings as he was already so familiar with the place.
That's what happens when you attend school here for seven years.
As he entered the Dining Hall, which was all but empty, he inwardly reminded himself to act pleasantly for propriety's sake—a task which would prove most difficult as he was in a very bad mood that morning. Spotting Lord Dumbledore serenely sipping a cup of hot tea at the professors' table, which was properly arranged with three ornate place settings, Frank plastered a strained smile on his face and went to join him.
"Have a fitful sleep, Lord Longbottom?" Dumbledore commented lightly as Frank took a seat beside him, his blue eyes remaining loyally glued to the front page of the Daily Prophet he was reading from behind his half-moon spectacles. "I could have a sleeping draft brewed for you if your insomnia persists."
How the hell does Dumbledore know I didn't sleep last night?
"I don't think that will be necessary," Frank replied, hiding his embarrassment. "I just had a lot on my mind last night."
"Understandable. I've burdened you with quite the task, after all," Dumbledore said, putting down his paper and pouring himself another cup of tea from an intricate china pot. "Tea?"
Frank ignored the wizard's polite query, suddenly looking worried, "Lord Dumbledore, if I have appeared ungrateful for the responsibility you have bestowed upon me, please accept my deepest apologies. I am honoured you have placed your trust in me. If I seem…overwhelmed…it is only because I have never been given a duty of such magnitude."
Dumbledore smiled at the young lord, quietly amused by his alarm. "You needn't fear my perception of you, Frank. The task is an overwhelming one, and it will consume much of your time—never mind interfere with your personal life. I'm sorry I never asked before, but are you currently interested in any young ladies?"
"No," Frank replied immediately, making Dumbledore's eyes dance with mischievous suspicion.
"No? I admit, I have heard rumours that there is a particular young lady you are interested in, but have yet to formally pursue."
"There is no one," Frank insisted too vehemently to successfully convince Dumbledore.
"If you are sure…"
"I promise you, Lord Dumbledore, courting Aurora won't be a problem for me. However, I do beseech you to tell me how you imagine my fictitious involvement with Aurora—" Frank proceeded to use Lily's undercover name in case anyone was listening. "—is going to affect my personal life?"
"How do you think your parents will react when they hear of your courtship?" Dumbledore questioned, taking a sip from his warm cup as he silently pondered the validity of Frank's previous insistence. "I imagine your match will be the talk of the town."
I never even thought of that…
"I…I suppose it will be," Frank murmured uncertainly, vaguely grabbing for the goblet of orange juice before him and taking a healthy gulp. "When my parents hear that I'm courting your niece, they'll likely be pleased. I'm sure any noble wizarding family would jump at the possibility of being related to you through marriage."
Dumbledore chuckled softly, too modest to admit that Frank was absolutely right. "Be that as it may, you needn't disguise your anxiety from me. I am confident you will carry out your role professionally."
"Thank you, Lord Dumbledore," Frank said humbly, feeling a little reassured. "You mentioned yesterday that you chose me for this mission because of my age and status, but I wondered: why did you not pick Potter, Black, or one of the Prewett brothers?"
Dumbledore remained silent for a moment, taking another sip of his tea and summoning a house elf to inquire as to why Lily had not yet arrived. When the house-elf disapparated, he spoke again with unwavering confidence. "I did not want to put Gideon or Fabian in a position where they would have to lie to the other, and I do not believe either could have convincingly carried out the task of courting Aurora. Furthermore, their family's current reputation is not as respectable as your family's, especially due to dear Molly's marriage to our Arthur Weasley—who, as you know, does not belong to a noble family. They make such a lovely pair, don't you agree?"
"Yes…I heard Molly was disinherited though," Frank said, humouring the quirky wizard.
"Poor dear, she certainly was," Dumbledore affirmed kindly. "As for Potter and Black, I also did not want to place them in a situation where they would have to lie to one another. They have been best friends ever since their first year at Hogwarts: I believe they both would have confided in the other, even if I had expressly forbade it. Besides this, Sirius' womanizing reputation and ongoing family feud made him an undesirable candidate. I don't particularly want Aurora associated with the Black family, either."
Looks like Dumbledore is getting into the habit of calling Lily 'Aurora', too…
"Why? Because half of the Black family is made up of death eaters and the other half aspire to become death eaters?" Frank mused, a smirk cracking his mouth.
"It seems Sirius is the only member of the Black family firmly on our side," Dumbledore acknowledged, a slight frown on his face. "Though I believe young Nymphadora holds great promise…"
"I understand Sirius…but what about Potter? He is from a reputable family; a family arguably more wealthy and powerful than my own. I won't go so far as to say he is a better dueler than I am, but you made him a member of the Order while he was still in his seventh year at Hogwarts while you didn't invite me to join until a year after I graduated." Frank pointed out, secretly proud that he was chosen over James.
Bloody git beat me in almost every subject in school…about time I defeated him in something.
"I considered giving the mission to James…" Dumbledore trailed off, his cerulean orbs clouding in thought. "However, for the past couple months his involvement with the Order has been minimal, and he seems more distracted than usual. I suppose my suspicions concerning his commitment have been confirmed in light of recent events."
No kidding.
"Have Mad-Eye or Kingsley caught up with him since he escaped yesterday morning?" Frank questioned with piqued interest, staring intently at the stately wizard.
"No, his whereabouts are still unknown to us," Dumbledore commented, apparently uninterested in discussing the topic with Frank. "I suspect he will return eventually to explain himself, but until then we shall wait."
"Wait? You aren't suspicious he's up to something? Surely Black knows where to find him?"
"No, I am not suspicious, nor am I worried Lord Potter will join the ranks of Voldemort, as I detect you are implying," Dumbledore articulated with poise, signaling the end of Frank's questioning. "I will not ask Sirius to betray the location of James—though I am certain he wouldn't even if I asked. We will all simply await his return. Do not give another thought to the matter, please. We have more important things to worry about now."
"Yes…yes of course, Lord Dumbledore," Frank agreed respectfully, quietening his curiosity so as to not affront the old wizard.
The two aristocrats sat in silence for a moment, the only sound in the hall being the distant clanging of dishes against one another as a house elf cleaned away the remains of a breakfast previously enjoyed at the Slytherin table. Breaking the silence, Dumbledore finally proclaimed the question on both of their minds. "My, my, where ever could our dear Aurora be?"
"I'm going to be so late for breakfast!" Lily cried anxiously as she attempted to fix her freshly-dried hair into an up-do. "If I had known I was expected this morning I wouldn't have stayed up reading so late—"
"Miss Aurora must put on her shoes and meet Master Dumbledore and Master Longbottom in the Dining Hall!" Mimi peeped eagerly, placing a pair of black heels in front of Lily as she examined herself in the room's talking mirror.
"I'm going as quickly as I can!" Lily exclaimed, slipping on the shoes Mimi laid out for her while also smoothing dark pink lipstick over her lips. "It isn't easy being a female, you know!"
"Yes, Mimi knows," the house-elf replied confidently, flattening the wrinkles in Lily's dress with her spidery fingers. "Mimi has three dish towels she must pick from every day, and Mimi is never sure which one will look best each morning."
Lily bit back a giggle, instead providing the little creature with a convincing nod. Taking a moment to scrutinize her appearance, she couldn't help but admire the professionally-tailored dress she wore. It was a deep navy colour with short sleeves and a hem that stopped precisely above her knees. A damask design—overlaid in a lighter shade of navy—covered the entire frock, and near the sweetheart neckline were little blue stones that gave the dress a touch of sparkle (Lily was sure they were mock sapphires, but, in reality, they were sapphires).
"While Miss Aurora is down at breakfast, Mimi will put all of Miss Aurora's new clothes away in her wardrobe. Does this please Miss Aurora?"
As the shipment of clothing Lily (or, technically, Frank) had ordered from Madam Gladrags' had arrived that morning, Lily's dormitory room was positively littered with clothing, shoes, hats and accessories—most of which she had no idea where or how to store. There were fancy party dresses, simple frocks, light summer jackets, gingham skirts, ruffled blouses, fur-trimmed coats, hats of various shapes and sizes, flat and heeled shoes, and boxes of pantyhose; every fashion accessory a girl could possibly dream of owning.
"Yes…thank you, Mimi. I would greatly appreciate that."
Not like I'd know what to do with all of these clothes, anyway…
As Lily took one final look at her new dress before leaving the room, she noticed a small, cylindrical pocket covertly sewn down the length of the skirt. Having no idea what the pocket was for, she turned to Mimi, confused, "What is supposed to go in here?"
"Miss Aurora's wand, of course!" the house-elf smiled up at Lily, her toothy grin spreading from ear to ear as she held out Lily's wand like a squire presenting a knight his sword. "Wizards and witches are to never part with their wands, Miss Aurora. Wand compartments are sewn into all wizarding attire…does Miss Aurora not know this?"
"Er…wizarding fashion in Canada is a bit different, Mimi," Lily managed clumsily, changing the subject to distract the sweet house-elf from the holes in her knowledge. "Now, how about you escort me down to the Great Hall? I'd very much like to hear all about your duties around the school."
"M-M-Mimi would be honoured," the house-elf squealed with excitement, the prospect of Lily taking an interest in her day-to-day activities making her positively beam.
As Mimi ran to open the dormitory door, already beginning to spout off all of her daily duties, Lily slipped her wand into her dress and followed in her chattering wake, wondering what the day had in store for her.
Severus Snape lingered by one of the two wild-boar statues that flanked the Great Hall, hidden in the statue's shadow and out of sight from any who came barreling down the staircase toward the Dining Hall. He patiently waited there, his eyes darting about the space in search of his intended target. When his eyes befell Lord Frank Longbottom determinedly gamboling down the stairs into the Dining Hall—unbeknownst to his presence—he raised an intrigued eyebrow.
I wonder what Longbottom is doing here…
Snape was one of the most intelligent wizards to ever graduate from Hogwarts—an institution he had called home for more than seven years now. He had been top of almost every class during his school years, bested by only a few others in subjects he deemed less important, and had achieved top honours in his two favourite subjects: Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. His achievements were regarded by many as especially extraordinary because almost all of his academic competition was of noble birth—a status prerequisite all students were required to have in order to attend the magical institution. Eleven-year old Snape had not met this prerequisite, lacking any noble blood, but had instead been awarded a special scholarship only offered to common witches or wizards whom possessed extraordinary talents: talents which made them worthy of attending such an institution. If it hadn't been for the scholarship, created by Dumbledore in the early years of his reign as Headmaster, Snape would have never been able to attend Hogwarts.
Recognizing his remarkable magical prowess from a young age, Dumbledore had furthermore offered Snape the position of Potion's Master following his graduation in seventh year—an offer that he had immediately accepted and which made him the youngest professor to ever teach at Hogwarts. Now approaching his fourth year of educating, Snape had lived at Hogwarts long enough to know who allied themselves with Albus Dumbledore…
Visits to Hogwarts in the summer were the most telling. Snape had seen aurors Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt pass through the castle doors many times, and it appeared Lord Frank Longbottom was now making frequent trips as well. Besides them, over the past three years Snape had noticed frequent visits from Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, Lords Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Arthur Weasley and numerous others he did not know by name, either because they did not hold prominent positions in society, were not of noble birth, or had not attended Hogwarts. Most disturbingly were the sporadic appearances of Snape's three least favourite wizards in the world: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and James Potter.
I would love to run into one of those three down a dark alley…
Snape didn't know if Dumbledore was aware that he had taken tally of those who often visited him, or if he just didn't care. Dumbledore knew he wasn't stupid: Snape surmised Dumbledore likely suspected that he had come to the conclusion that the old wizard was heading some sort of secret society—a society whose likely mission was to combat the rise of the magical world's newest fiend, Voldemort. It was an easy assumption to make, especially since everyone knew Dumbledore posed the biggest threat to Voldemort. He had, after all, defeated the likes of Grindelwald.
What bothered Snape the most was that, as Dumbledore likely knew he had knowledge of his activities, and as he knew he was adept at Defense Against the Dark Arts, he hadn't invited him to join his secret group. Why wasn't Dumbledore using his immense magical talents? Why did he trust him with the training of his own niece, but not trust in him enough to ask him to join his ranks…to join the fight against the Dark Lord?
Your assumption that I'll stay quiet and not take my information and talents elsewhere may be a dangerous one, Dumbledore…
Snape angrily scowled at the ground, frustration welling.
Suddenly, the sound of clicking heels echoed within the Great Hall, the delicate noise reverberating off of the stone walls and making the four house hourglasses chime. Snape looked up and saw Aurora—dressed in a form-fitting blue outfit—approaching the Dining Hall with a prattling little elf at her side, her smiling eyes tinged with fatigue. Her russet hair fell around her shoulders in loose waves, more untamed than he had ever seen it, and dark circles formed beneath her striking sapphire eyes. His anger instantly dissipated, replaced by an emotion so foreign to him that he couldn't describe it even if he tried…
"It's hard to believe someone as miserly as you did such a gallant thing only a few hours ago…I bet now you wish you'd never saved me…"
His throat became dry as she neared him, memories of her distraught voice pervading his thoughts. He had never felt guilty in his entire life, but now…laying eyes upon her the morning after their quarrel and thinking on all of the cruel things he had said to her—things which he would've never felt ashamed saying to anyone else—made him feel undeniably so.
What's wrong with me?
"You take care of the owls too?" Lily stressed in mock-fascination, trying to seem impressed as she entered the Great Hall and headed in the direction of the Dining Hall. "My goodness, Mimi! It sounds to me like you are the hardest working house-elf at Hogwarts!"
Big crocodile tears formed in the corners of Mimi's bulbous eyes as she began to tremble, overjoyed by Lily's compliments. "M-M-M-Miss Aurora i-i-is too kind to Mimi."
"Oh my, I didn't mean to make you cry!" Lily insisted, bending down to hastily pat the little elf on the back. "Please, won't you stop? I didn't mean to offend—?"
"M-M-Mimi is crying tears of happiness, Miss Aurora!" Mimi interrupted in a high-pitched squeak, dabbing her eyes with the shoulders of the dish towel she wore. "Mimi has never received such respects b-b-before. Mimi—"
The house-elf stopped mid-sentence and looked over Lily's shoulder, her wet eyes mysteriously changing from surprised to nervous. Lily watched her uncertainly, wondering if the little creature's brain had become addled from all of her crying. Then, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, she abruptly turned to come face-to-face with Snape.
"M-M-Mimi should go attend to her c-chores. Have a g-good morning, Miss Aurora," Mimi said skittishly as she disapparated.
Lily remained perfectly statuesque as she glared into Snape's sallow face, waiting for him to open his mouth and spit an insult her way. Though he did not speak straight away, instead taking a moment to decipher the look on her face—an act which made her feel strangely awkward—she matched his stare with iron-clad resolve, all the while cursing his name in her head.
"Have I…interrupted something?" Snape finally questioned in his usual deep-seated voice, a glimmer of amusement reflecting in his cryptic eyes.
"Yes actually, you have," Lily returned, her tone deprecating; Snape could tell she was wholly unimpressed by his manifestation. "The very sight of you has frightened off my friend, apparently. I can hardly blame her for retreating."
Snape narrowed his eyes, the guilt he had previously felt beginning to dissolve. "Friend? Wizards don't make friends with house-elves, Aurora. They are our servants."
Lily didn't know what alarmed her more: Snape using her first 'name,' or him speaking in such a prejudicial way. His arrogance concerning Mimi infuriated her.
"I'd choose befriending a house-elf over you any day," Lily spat indignantly, her temper flaring. "Where did you come from, anyway? Were you lurking behind statues, waiting to pounce on me as soon as I walked by?"
"Don't flatter yourself," he growled, reacting to Lily's taunts just as she had expected him to. She was prepared for Snape to immediately volley another insult her way, but, strangely, he did not. Instead, the young wizard's facial features settled and his usually emotionless eyes clouded with a mixture of disappointment and frustration—uncharacteristic sentiments she did not understand. "I didn't approach you to pick a fight with you. I came to tell you that I'll be waiting here for you after you finish your breakfast. We're going start your lessons immediately, continuing where we left off yesterday."
Lily stiffened, startled by his cool demeanor. She suddenly felt idiotic for acting so insolently, convinced that Snape was remaining composed just to make her feel so.
"Why can't I just meet you in the library?" Lily countered, her blue eyes flashing as she folded her arms.
"We won't be practicing in the library," Snape replied shortly, struggling to remain dispassionate while in the company of the obstinate girl.
"Why not?"
"I've found a better location where we can practice."
"Well I don't see why we can't just go back to the library to—"
"Because I can't afford you accidentally burning it down again, alright?" Snape retorted, his eyes burning as his annoyance took control of his tongue.
"…fine. See you later," Lily dismissed him coolly, hiding her satisfied smirk by turning away from the vexed professor and entering the Dining Hall, where Dumbledore and Frank expectantly awaited her. Her hips swayed alluringly as she gracefully sauntered away, leaving Snape staring after her, vanquished.
"Well, well, well…look who's finally decided to grace us with her presence," Frank's playfully sarcastic voice sounded from across the Dining Hall, making Lily suppress a blush as she approached the head table.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Lord Dumbledore," Lily apologized as she arrived at the table, her tone reticent as she ignored Frank's jib. Frank and Dumbledore immediately arose from their seats, the gentlemen lowering back into them as soon as Lily took a seat beside Frank and opposite Dumbledore. "I was up late last night reading for my lessons today and I lost track of the time."
"Not to worry, dear girl. It was my own fault for not providing you with fair warning," Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. He waved his withered hand, causing the china tea pot before Lily to independently pour her a cup of tea. "I must say, I am simply famished! Shall we?"
On cue, the empty golden dishes before the three table occupants magically filled with every breakfast food imaginable. There was a basket of freshly baked breads (bagels, croissants, English muffins and bread rolls), bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes, waffles, French toast, hash browns, cheese, fruit, and, lastly, eggs prepared in every conceivable way known to wizard-kind. Lily's eyes grew wide and her nostrils flared as the aroma drifting from the delicious-looking food.
"So tell me, Aurora, how was your first lesson yesterday?" Dumbledore inquired amiably as he and Frank began siphoning food onto their plates.
Dumbledore is calling me 'Aurora' even in private? I suppose he and Frank are trying to get into the habit…
Lily took a nervous sip from her crested-goblet, which had magically filled with some sort of citrus juice, before continuing, unsure of how honest she should be. "I suppose it went alright."
"Only alright?" Dumbledore echoed kindly, trying to coax the truth from her. "Did you learn theory work or did you practice some spell work?"
"A bit of both. It was going well until I…er…almost burned down the library."
Frank sardonically snorted in his eggs, causing Lily to turn and glower at him, while Dumbledore merrily chuckled. Lily thought he sounded more like an amused grandfather than patronizing. "However did you manage that?"
"Well, I was instructed to produce a jet of water from my wand, but I wasn't told how to do it. I'd quickly scanned a page of my textbook before we began, and I was able to recall how to do the spells I was previously asked to perform, so I figured I'd take a guess…but I ended up producing some sort of enchanted fire charm students apparently aren't supposed to use." Lily explained quickly, becoming enthusiastic about the subject of conversation.
Dumbledore watched her in intrigue as she finally conjured the confidence to begin collecting food onto her plate, his blue eyes inquisitive. "You mean to say that the spells you performed you did so by merely glancing at your textbook? Professor Snape did not teach you how to execute them?"
At the mention of Severus Snape, Frank began choking on the pancake he had previously heaped into his mouth. Lily raised a curious eyebrow as he inelegantly coughed and looked to Dumbledore in disbelief. "You're having Snape tutor her?"
"You know him?" Lily asked before Dumbledore could answer, curious of Frank's physical reaction to the news.
"I went to school with that prat," Frank returned, causing Dumbledore to frown behind his white beard. "He was in my year…a Slytherin."
A what?
"I would like to remind you, Lord Longbottom, that Severus is also a professor here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said evenly, his voice business-like as he scrutinized Frank from behind his peculiar glasses. "And as I'm sure you recall, Severus graduated top of your year, also overcoming you in your best subject."
Frank grimaced, as if the knowledge were a thorn in his side. Lily looked between the two wizards, brimming with intrigue. "What was your best subject?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Frank muttered sullenly before turning his attention back to Dumbledore. "Qualified or not, can we really trust him to teach Aurora? He's probably the last person I'd trust with her. Seems like the perfect candidate for a death eater, if you ask me—"
"No one did ask you, Frank," Dumbledore replied curtly, taking a sip of his tea.
Having never heard Dumbledore sound so severe (and by normal standards, he didn't even really sound that severe), Lily turned to look at Frank, who appeared to have realized he had crossed a line. Lily imagined that, though Frank factored into her protection, it was Dumbledore who was masterminding the plan and calling the shots.
"Lord Dumbledore…I did not mean to question—"
"Professor Snape is an excellent teacher and has thorough knowledge of every subject important to Aurora's education. As he lives at Hogwarts during the summers, he is a perfect tutoring candidate. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to teach Aurora myself; therefore Severus will be administering her education on my behalf," Dumbledore fluidly interrupted, his manner of speaking confident and to the point. "I do not care what grudges you hold against Professor Snape from your school days, Frank. Are we understood?"
"Yes…I got carried away. I apologize," Frank responded obediently, subdued by Dumbledore's commandment. Lily shifted in her chair uncomfortably.
"I understand you only have Aurora's best interests at heart, but I assure you, I do as well," Dumbledore spoke tranquilly, diffusing some of the tension. As he focused on Lily again, a smile returned to his aged face. "You were saying, my dear?"
"Oh…um…well no, Professor Snape didn't teach me the spells or tell me which incantations to use. I'm under the impression that you did not inform him of my skill level, because he was testing me to ascertain it for himself. I didn't know whether I was supposed to tell him that I'd never performed magic…I wasn't sure whether or not the truth would have conflicted with something you had told him previously, so before he tested me I took a quick look at my textbook and attempted the spells anyway. Luckily, I was able to successfully perform the first couple spells, but after my blunder with the enchanted fire, he wasn't too impressed."
Dumbledore's thin lips parted into an enchanting smile as he listened to Lily's explanation. "How remarkable it is that you were able to cast your first spells without instruction. You should feel very proud indeed," Lily smiled shyly, secretly thrilled to finally receive some praise. "So thoughtless of me not to inform Professor Snape of the fact that you have never performed magic before. It seems I have been so enraptured in other matters concerning your living arrangements I have forgotten to do many other important things."
"So…so you're going to tell Professor Snape that I'm new to magic?" Lily inquired, her eyes betraying her relief. "I was up all night memorizing my Charms textbook in case he tested me again today."
"Yes, dear Aurora. I will explain to him that—as it was your ill mother's wish that you abstain from using magic and instead care for her—you know virtually nothing. I will remind Professor Snape that you didn't even own a wand until a few days ago." Dumbledore spoke soothingly, his eyes shining. "I do, however, expect you to work very hard at your studies. I want you to progress as far as you possibly can by the end of the summer. As it is mid-July, you will only have a month and a half."
"A month and a half until what?" Lily echoed curiously, side-glancing Frank who—to her dismay—looked equally as ignorant.
"You will find out eventually," Dumbledore winked, pausing for a moment to tuck into his cooling food before he continued. When Lily gave Frank a questioning look, he merely shrugged. "Now, I have asked you and Frank to join me for breakfast this morning to discuss a very important matter."
"An important matter?" Frank spoke for the first time since being scolded; Lily merely set her fork down, feeling anxious.
"Yes…it concerns the upcoming Hogwarts Gala in August," Dumbledore began.
Frank furrowed his brow, as if predicting what Dumbledore was about to say, while Lily tightened her eyes in thought. "If I recall correctly, Narcissa Black asked me if I was attending the Hogwarts Gala when I met her in the clothier…"
"Ah yes, I heard you had a run in with Lady Black," Dumbledore commented idly. "It is for that very reason that I have decided you will attend the Gala on the arm of Lord Longbottom."
Lily's blue eyes widened fretfully. "M-Me? Attend a gala?"
"But Lord Dumbledore, the Gala is only a month away? How will Aurora be…well…ready to face the magical nobility by then?" Frank asked uneasily, attempting to object as politely as possible. "Having sufficient magical knowledge to carry out a conversation would be precarious alone, never mind learning proper etiquette and the various dances?"
"Aurora will learn all the intricacies alongside her magical training," Dumbledore replied to Frank assuredly, turning to Lily with a heartening smile. "Now that Lady Black is aware of you, word of your arrival has surely begun to spread among the young ladies and gentleman of high society. This reality, coupled with the necessary trips you and Frank will often have to make to Hogsmeade for supplies, means that you must make an appearance at the Gala for decorum's sake, specifically with Frank. People will talk if you are absent, and we must use the event to confirm your courtship."
"Courtship?" Lily whispered hoarsely, attempting to disguise the sudden stab of pain that resonated in her chest. It was as if the scab growing over her heart had been seared with a hot poker, her old wound bleeding fresh blood. "W-Why must we court?"
"For appearance's sake. As Frank will be instrumental in getting you accustomed to the magical world, and will therefore often be by your side—as he was in Hogsmeade—it is imperative we provide a plausible reason for his attachment to you," Dumbledore explained softly, the logic behind his plan irrefutable. "You've already been spotted together in Hogsmeade by the shopkeepers, and they will surely talk as well. Though some may believe the two of you only share a friendship, many will suspect there is something more going on between you. If you deny a courtship, some will gossip your relationship is inappropriate—rumours which may damage both of your reputations."
"Oh…well, if it's necessary?" Lily questioned uneasily, neurotically playing with a strand of her hair as she mustered the courage to make eye contact with Frank; he offered her a weak smile.
"Lord Dumbledore is right, it is necessary. If you debuted in high society without me, there would be a small mob of noble wizards interested in courting you—especially due to your relation to Dumbledore," Frank explained reasonably, attempting to sound as professional as possible to lessen the awkwardness. "We can't have you fervently pursued right from the start, for any…intimate conversations with possible suitors might give you away. You need more time to adjust to the magical world before you get involved with any of…that."
"I get the point. Can we stop talking about this now?" Lily pleaded uncomfortably, Frank beginning to sound like a parent giving their child the torturous "birds and the bees" lecture. Dumbledore chuckled, his cheeks rosy with amusement.
Lily couldn't help but feel glad when breakfast concluded, feeling increasingly anxious and uncomfortable with Dumbledore's explanation of the nature of galas and the amount of work she would be required to do in order to prepare for the event. She mostly kept her gaze away from Frank, unable to look at him without blushing—the thought of pretending to court him making her feel inexplicably panicky—and merely nodded her head whenever Dumbledore engaged her in conversation. Like the last time she had dined with Lord Dumbledore, Lily had completely lost her appetite.
"Your dance teacher will be arriving by train this afternoon. You'll have to start lessons with her immediately, of course," Dumbledore said lightly, idly brushing some crumbs off of his white beard. "Have you danced before, Aurora?"
"Er…no, not really," Lily responded clumsily, pushing the food on her plate around with her gold-plated fork; she didn't imagine dancing in an Irish bar counted. "At least I've never taken dance lessons before."
"Can't say I envy you," Frank smirked, watching the girl squirm in her seat in secret entertainment.
"Of course, you'll be joining her, Frank," Dumbledore added with a smile, pleased when the arrogant grin on Frank's face disappeared, instead replaced by a look of utter horror; Lily grinned, comforted by the fact that she would not have to suffer alone.
"What? Why do I have to?" Frank questioned hastily, his eyebrows wrinkling in confusion and his voice becoming desperate. "I know how to dance already. I've been to plenty of galas."
"Aurora will need a dance partner to practice with. As you will be the one dancing with her at the Gala, it only makes sense that you practice together so your performance is impeccable. All eyes will be on the two of you, after all," Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes shining with mirth as he dabbed the corners of his mouth with a linen napkin and arose from the table. "Now, I want to have a little chat with Professor Snape before Aurora resumes her lessons. If the two of you could remain here for a moment, I should only be a few minutes. Am I right to assume Professor Snape is awaiting you outside of the Dining Hall, Aurora?"
How did he know that?
"Yes, he should be there," Lily confirmed, growing sullen at the thought of having to meet up with him soon.
"Excellent. Thank you for joining me for breakfast, Frank, Aurora," Dumbledore smiled warmly, his blue eyes practically translucent as the morning's sunlight illumed them. "We shall breakfast again tomorrow morning, Aurora. I'd like to tell you more about our family. Until then."
Our family…
Lily agreed silently and watched Dumbledore depart, his beautiful turquoise robs dragging along the floor behind him like the train of a bridal gown. Once Dumbledore disappeared, Lily became aware that she had been left alone with Frank, her pretend boyfriend, and side-glanced him subconsciously. He seemed to read her mind.
"Try not to worry about the Gala. Between your lessons and my guidance, I'm sure you'll be more than ready to make your debut in high society," Frank spoke assuredly, turning in his chair toward Lily and placing a cheering hand on her lap. "I'll be at your side throughout most of the evening, so I can help you answer any questions thrown your way. It may not be to your liking, but Dumbledore's plan to have us act as couple is an ingenious one, and crucial to your protection."
"Well surely it isn't to your liking either?" Lily questioned defensively. "There's probably a laundry list of society girls who'd you like to court and Dumbledore just saddled you with babysitting me."
"Yes, I'm quite hard done by," Frank sarcastically remarked, earning an eye-roll from Lily. "And there isn't a laundry-list of society girls who I would like to date, but a list of girls who would like to date me. You should feel terrible for depriving them of my potential affection."
"Oh shut up, would you?" Lily demanded in amused exasperation, knocking Frank in the shoulder as his humour began to settle her nerves. "But really though, how are we going to feign affection for one another convincingly? I may have adequately played my part thus far, but that little piece of acting is going to be extraordinarily difficult…"
"You're clearly already wildly attracted to me; it shouldn't be that difficult for you!. Now I, on the other hand, will have an exceedingly hard time pretending to love the likes of you," Frank joked, grinning from ear to ear as he rose from his seat and pulled a mock-offended Lily to her feet. "I prefer blondes, you see."
"Arsehole."
"Language!"
Frank escorted Lily to the doors of the Dining Hall and peeked outside to see if Dumbledore was still speaking to Snape. Catching a glimpse of the dark-haired wizard, he grimaced and indicated that they should wait a bit longer.
"What is it you have against Professor Snape? It seems Dumbledore thinks highly of him, but you expressed at breakfast that you clearly do not share that sentiment," Lily questioned, careful to hide how curious she really was.
"Dumbledore is confident in him. My opinions shouldn't matter," Frank brushed off the inquiry.
"Please, Frank?"
"No…Dumbledore wouldn't approve."
"Come on, Frank! I won't tell Dumbledore; I promise," Lily whispered persistently, flashing Frank an angelic pout which reluctantly persuaded him to indulge him.
"Fine, but keep that cute little mouth of yours shut or I'll get in trouble like I did at breakfast," Frank frowned down at the girl, inwardly lecturing himself for giving in so easily. "Snape and I were in the same year here at Hogwarts. Though only the children of noblemen are accepted to Hogwarts, Snape was accepted because of his magical talents. I suppose they impressed Dumbledore enough for him to offer Snape a scholarship, even though he's just a commoner."
Lily frowned, unimpressed by the superior way in which Frank regarded Snape—as just a commoner.
"I had classes with him and the likes. He was always very quiet, kept his long nose stuck between the pages of the books he worshiped. A complete teacher's pet, in my opinion. He was never concerned with making friends or playing Quidditch—though I imagine he'd be bloody awful at it…he doesn't really strike me as an athlete," Frank snorted to himself, a smirk creeping onto his lips. "But you've met him. He's a sour individual—don't think I've ever seen a smile cross his face before. Between his nasty disposition and brown-nosing tendencies, nobody ever liked him."
"Did he ever do anything to you?" Lily persisted, wondering when a legitimate reason for Frank's dislike of Snape would emerge. "Did he say or do something to you?"
"No…but the Marauders didn't like him, so naturally most of the school didn't either. He got into a couple different duels with them…got strung up by his heels midair once, as I recall…"
"Maraud—?"
"Enough for now, Aurora. Dumbledore's left…let's go," Frank interrupted Lily's query, pushing open one of the double doors and signaling Lily to follow him. "We'll chat more about this later."
Snape stood motionless in the wake of Dumbledore, his arms crossed and his face creased in absolute bewilderment. He was struggling to register the conversation that had just taken place between himself and the headmaster; a conversation which had revealed that Dumbledore's niece, Aurora Rockford—the very same girl who had produced enchanted fire the night before—had never even owned a wand before, never mind performed magic.
"We'll chat more about this later."
The sound of Frank Longbottom's voice caused Snape's attention to switch to the two figures approaching him. He neutralized his facial features, hiding any indication of emotion, and instead adopted a dispassionate façade. As Aurora and Lord Longbottom approached, their arms comfortably entwined, a strange pang of undisclosed emotion—which was decidedly negative—fermented in his gut.
Once close enough, Snape made eye-contact with Aurora, who appeared torn between her partner's conversation and her own thoughts, then Longbottom, who regarded him with the same disdainful superiority he had possessed during their school days.
Wonder if he's already bored her with tales of his useless bourgeois existence.
"Snape," Frank arrogantly acknowledged him when he and Aurora had reached him.
"Longbottom," Snape drawled in response, his keen black eyes unwavering as he purposely refrained from referring to him by his title.
He watched as Frank pretentiously turned away from him—as if he no longer existed—and handsomely bowed toward Aurora, taking her hand and kissing the top of it. He stifled a triumphant laugh when a surprised—if not slightly annoyed—look crossed her face in response to the lord's actions; however, his amusement vanished when she seemed to realize her incorrect reaction and suddenly broke into a lovely smile. "I'll see you later tonight, Frank?"
"Of course…I look forward to it, my lady," Frank grinned charmingly, the two appearing to be sharing in a private joke. "I hope you have an agreeable afternoon."
Frank shot Snape a meaningful glare as he pompously stalked off, obviously unimpressed that he was leaving Aurora in his company. Though the pageantry of their exchange made him want to vomit, Snape was secretly thrilled to be the reason for his displeasure.
"Are we going to stand in the middle of the Great Hall all day, or will we be getting on with the lesson at some point?"
Snape's intense gaze shifted from the disappearing lord back to the beautiful face of his new student, who suddenly captivated him even more than she had before. He quietly observed her, the gears in his mind furiously churning, before he decided what he was going to do: he had a new hypothesis he was very interested in testing…
"Do you have your wand with you?" Snape inquired after a moment's pause.
"Yes, of course? Why?" she replied, clearly perplexed by his behaviour.
"Excellent. Follow me."
Lily clutched her chest as she followed Professor Snape up two flights of stairs to the third floor of the castle. As per usual, the bat-like wizard travelled at competitive speeds, effortlessly bounding up stairs and cutting corners like his robes were on fire. Nearly tripping twice, Lily exhaled in relief—her lungs ready to explode—when Snape finally entered a classroom unknown to her.
Located down a musty corridor which twisted away from the moving staircases, classroom 3C was quite the sight to behold. Tentatively following Snape inside, Lily was immediately struck by the bright room's odd features. Hanging from the high ceiling was an enormous skeleton of a horned beast—what she assumed to be a dragon—and lining the walls were jars of what appeared to be pickled, shrunken heads. Mundane compared to the bones of a winged dinosaur, the room was also filled with writing desks, candlesticks, a sooty blackboard and an eccentric mirrored-wardrobe which, to her, seemed out of place.
Lily quizzically stared up at the dragon skeleton for a long while before Snape finally broke the room's silence. "It's a Peruvian Vipertooth."
Her softened gaze returned to her mysterious tutor, who was patiently observing her silent fascination with folded arms. "A dragon?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
She expected such a response from the fork-tongued wizard, but rather than uttering the statement in his usual denigrating tone, he framed the question in an uncertain—if not curious—manner. Lily paused to take stock of his unfamiliar attitude, tempted to offer a genuine response to ascertain whether or not she had mistaken his character. "I've…well, I've never seen one before. I thought they were a myth."
Snape's eyes narrowed under his black eyebrows, betraying his incredulity. "A myth? Have you never read about them before? Did your mother or father never teach you of them?"
Lily bit her lip, wondering how much of her false cover-story she should or could convey to Snape. He seemed like an incredibly astute individual; a professor particularly talented at sniffing out liars. How believable she could be, she did not yet know…
"My father died when I was young and my mother has been ill all her life. I suppose she never possessed the right mind to discuss magical creatures or anything of the kind with me," Lily managed in a solemn voice, averting her gaze from Snape and instead unsheathing her wand, pretending to study the design on it.
She waited for Snape to inquire further into her family dynamic—questions she would likely have to deflect—but he did not, instead adopting a scholarly, authoritative tone. "Alright, I'm going to test you again. Wand at the ready."
I thought Dumbledore was going to tell him that I was new to magic…?
"What? Didn't Dumbledore explain—?" Lily began dubiously, her eyes betraying her bewilderment as Snape flicked his wand and caused all the desks in the room to independently slide into place along the walls, thus creating an open area in the middle.
"I said, wand at the ready," Snape compelled again in his bottomless voice, expectantly staring at Lily. "It'll be the same procedure as yesterday. Ready?"
Though she was undeniably confused, Lily brandished her wand—pointing it at Snape, who faced her—and nodded her head, determination etching across her pale brow. "I'm ready."
"Right. First, I want you to make one of the desks hover above the ground for more than five seconds," Snape started, repeating one of the commands he had issued the day before.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Lily immediately recanted, meticulously moving her wand and precisely pronouncing the incantation as she zeroed in on the first desk she laid eyes upon. As the desk successfully dismounted from the stone floor, she recalled a description she had read in her textbook and flicked her wand upwards to make the desk float higher and higher, gently setting it back down when she felt satisfied with the height.
"Next, cast a softening charm on the floor. Once you have, drop one of the desks on the floor from a great height to test if the charm worked," Snape continued evenly, giving no hint of congratulation as his eyes remained fixed on the girl.
Lily took a deep breath and pointed her wand at the floor, careful to control her emotions and therefore the power of the spell by concentrating on its intended effect. "Spongify."
Lily could already feel the spell working, for the ground under her feet suddenly felt buoyant—as if she were standing atop a trampoline. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Snape's gaze drop to the floor as well, assuring her that he too felt the stone's newfound flexibility. Lily carefully executed the hover charm on one of the desks again, lifting the desk to the ceiling before breaking the charm and sending it crashing toward the ground. Instead of splintering into a dozen pieces, the wooden desk soundlessly bounced off the floor and skidded across it like a stone skipping across water.
Hiding her triumph, Lily looked to Snape for her next instruction. She was intrigued to see his previously indifferent face crumpled in doubt; however, he regarded her in indecision only a moment longer before he issued his next order. He bent down and fished a green-bound book from his shoulder bag—the very same potions text he had been reading in the library yesterday—and nonchalantly threw it across the room toward the door, putting in jeopardy its ragged binding. "I want you to summon that book."
Why did he jump from a first year spell to a fourth year spell?
Lily gazed at the tattered book across the room and paused, thinking on the correct spell to use. She knew the incantation and wand movement, but hesitated before performing it, remembering a paragraph emphasized in her textbook: Be very specific when summoning an object, for the broader the phrasing, the likelier the possibility that more than one object will come barreling toward the caster…
Lily looked away from the book and scanned the rest of the room, quickly realizing that it was positively teeming with books, big and small. He's trying to trick me. If I merely refer to it as a 'book', I'll probably be buried under a mountain of them…
She looked to Snape again, noticing he had drawn his wand; he was likely anticipating her mistake and preparing to save her from it. Sneaky bastard.
"What's your textbook called?" Lily requested, the fire in her eyes alerting Snape to her displeasure with his slippery test and his expectation that she would fail.
"Advanced Potion-Making," Snape responded lightly, adamantly watching her as he goaded her into continuing. "Are you stalling because you don't remember the incantation, or because you can't perform the spell?"
Lily shifted her gaze away from him to the lonely book. Convincingly, she commanded: "Accio Advanced Potion-Making!"
Though the speed at which the book travelled took her by surprise, Lily managed to catch Snape's zooming potions text in her left hand. Thrilled with her success thus far, she was unable to hide a grin from her tutor. Thank God I was able to get as far as fourth year last night…
The grin left Lily's face, however, as Snape tersely summoned the book straight out of her hand and threw it back into his bag. Looking almost angry, he took a couple steps toward Lily—making her instinctively want to take a few steps backwards—and made his last demand. "I want you to disarm me."
Disarm him?
Lily looked back at him disbelievingly, secretly wracking her brain in an attempt to remember a charm that could achieve such a feat. The pages she had read last night flashed in her mind like moving pictures, housing precious explanations of spells and charms, but nothing usable came to mind.
"I don't know how to disarm you," Lily declared pointedly, irritated that she had to admit defeat. Rather than pleasing Snape, he appeared more cross than before.
"You 'don't know'? You know how to summon an object, but you don't know how to disarm an opponent?" Snape claimed cynically, gripping his wand to his side. "I want to see you do it."
"I just told you, I don't kn—"
"Quickly slash you wand from right to left, the finishing point aimed at me, and pronounce 'Expelliarmus,'" Snape interrupted brusquely, resolute as he swiftly modeled the wand movement. "Go on, do it!"
Lily gulped nervously, her hand sweaty as she did as her tutor instructed her. "Expelliarmus…"
Other than the small scarlet spark that weakly discharged from her wand and plummeted to the ground with a weak sizzle, nothing happened.
"Be firm. Think about what you are saying; what you want the spell to do. Again."
"Expelliarmus!" Lily attempted again with more gusto, rapidly reproducing the wand movement Snape demonstrated; again, with no luck.
"Pathetic. Afraid to raise your voice, little Dumbledore? Say it LOUDER!" Snape ordered, his eyes flashing dangerously as he took an intimidating step closer to her; she flinched apprehensively, her instincts flaring.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Why can't you seem to enunciate the spell correctly? Are you deaf? Eks-PEL-ee-AR-mes!" Snape obscenely instructed, his every feature aggressive. "One more chance. Again!"
"Expelliarmus!" Lily yelped almost helplessly, her voice cracking as Snape's tone and manner began to physically scare her. With her final failure, he rapidly began to approach her, his black eyes frenzied with frustration. She gasped, her spine prickling with alarm as he stormed towards her…
"ARE YOU SO INCOMPETENT THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN—?"
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Lily screamed, slicing her wand through the air and shooting a jet of dark red light—the colour of rubies—rocketing toward her attacker.
Breath seemed to vacate from her lungs as the spell thumped Snape square in the chest, sending his rigid wand spiraling into the air like a children's wind-spinner and knocking him off of his feet and into the neatly arranged desks behind him. The sound of his body connecting with the hard wooden bureaus made Lily gasp; she remained frozen in her spot, wand still drawn, until she heard his groans echo from the mass of debris. "Oh my God…Severus, are you alright?"
As Snape attempted to amble out of the wreckage, Lily rushed forward and grabbed his forearm—forgetting his previous demeanor—and helped him to his feet. Though he appeared irritated by the thought of her help, he accepted her arm and let her drag him to the middle of the room, his face rumpled in pain as he massaged the back of his neck with his free hand.
"I…I'm sorry, I didn't know that spell was…well…I didn't know it was going to do that," Lily finally managed, though as Snape straightened up and set his black eyes upon her again, her remorse slowly turned to anger. "But you deserved what came to you."
"I deserved being sent flying into a pile of desks?" Snape questioned aloud, an amused grin twisting his mouth.
Lily nearly flinched, the sight of Severus Snape smiling—a smile which lacked its usual sardonic disdain—one she had never beheld before. Certain his grin was the product of head trauma, she continued her fuming tirade. "What makes you think you can treat people the way you just treated me? Coming at me like some rabid animal? You can't talk to people like that! Your behaviour just now was absolutely disgusting! The way you just spoke to me was both condescending and frightening, and I cannot believe someone like you teaches children!"
She glared at Snape so intensely and with such disparagement that he felt like sinking into the floor and disappearing, her scorching eyes like pinpricks. "I was testing you. I wanted to see how well you worked under pressure."
Lily blinked, unbelieving. "What?"
"Expelliarmus is a third year Defense spell, and it isn't that easy to pick up for beginners. By intimidating you, I put pressure on you to make the spell work…and, obviously, you did," Snape responded calmly, summoning a chair over to him and sitting down to ease his back pain. "Do I use such methods to teach students during the school year? No. But as I understand it, with you there is little time to waste."
Lily swallowed hard, matching Snape's calm gaze with a mixture of knowledge and uncertainty. "So if I am to understand you correctly, you scared me into properly performing the spell?"
"In essence, yes."
"It…it was all just a test…?" Lily trailed off, looking away from Snape as her eyes glazed over. He just taught me a Defence Against the Dark Arts spell…I didn't know the spell because I'd only read the Charms textbook…
"I'd like you to sit down. We have some matters to discuss," Snape instructed Lily, recapturing her attention. She sunk into the chair he magicked over to her and regarded him quietly, unable to predict what was on his mind. What he said first immediately took her off guard.
"Aurora…why have you not told your uncle that you've performed magic before?" Snape inquired softly, his voice—almost sounding concerned—sullied with subdued fascination. "He's instructed me to teach you starting with the basics, convinced you've never executed a spell before, but it is clear to me you have. I need you to tell me what level you're at."
Surprised by Snape's incorrect assumptions—if not a little flattered—Lily delivered her answer as frankly as she could, "Professor Snape…I'm afraid everything my uncle has told you is correct. Up until my lesson with you yesterday, I'd never performed a spell before. I didn't even own a wand until a few days ago."
Lily saw the irritation growing on Snape's face; he looked wholly unconvinced by her statement. "I don't know why you're hiding it from your uncle, and I don't need to know why, but I cannot accept that explanation. You just performed a third year Defense spell and a fourth year charm. Someone who has never performed magic could not successfully execute such spells."
"Well apparently it is possible, because I just did," Lily insisted, her voice tinged with annoyance. "Whether it be luck or talent, I successfully performed those spells yesterday because I got a quick look at the Charms textbook before you instructed me to begin. I wasn't able to perform the water charm because it wasn't on the page I scanned, so I took a guess and accidentally set that table on fire. I was only able to perform the water charm after you demonstrated it to me."
The mystification on Snape's face was so pronounced that Lily felt like laughing. "What about the charms you performed today? One of them was a fourth year charm…and I don't see how it's possible that you could remember those charms by fleetingly glancing your textbook."
Lily chuckled, causing the crease on Snape's forehead to deepen. "You made me feel like such a fool yesterday that I stayed up all night reading The Standard Book of Spells. Luckily, I made it to the fourth year section and remembered the summoning charm. As I only read that textbook, you can see why I hadn't a clue how to disarm you."
Snape suddenly flew out of his chair and walked across the room, his bewilderment making him agitated. After a moment's contemplation, he strode back across the room and regarded Lily suspiciously. "You're telling me that you read more than half of The Standard Book of Spells last night? You do realize that's nearly eight hundred pages of reading."
"I think it was something like eight hundred and seventy-four, actually," Lily responded, accidentally frustrating him more. "I know it doesn't seem plausible, but I have an eidetic memory—meaning I can recall images and objects with exceptional precision in the short term. I suppose this also plays into my ability to speed read…I can read almost a thousand words per minute while still comprehending their meaning."
Wow, that's the first time I've ever told anyone that.
Snape looked stupefied. Though he did not voice his connection, he'd only heard of one other wizard with such abilities: Lord Emmett Everard, former headmaster at Hogwarts.
"Even if what you say is true, without proper instruction…I don't understand how you could have so easily…how you could have successfully performed the spells you have on your first try," Snape virtually whispered, suddenly regarding Lily as if she were a bizarre phenomenon; she fidgeted in her seat.
Even as a wizard I'm apparently a freak…
"Well…you saw how many tries it took me to finally disarm you," Lily offered weakly, unsure of what to say.
Snape grinned in disbelief, shaking his head at the girl as if she were ridiculous. "You really are new to magic, aren't you? I told you before that spell isn't easy for beginners to pick up—yet you did it in a matter of minutes, and with very crude instruction."
"How long does it usually take students to learn?" Lily breathed uncertainly, nervous to hear the answer.
"Days…even weeks for the dimmer students," Snape revealed, linking his hands and leaning forward in his chair—as if he were about to whisper a secret to her. "It appears I've underestimated you, Aurora. Perhaps it is your age, but it seems you have natural aptitude for magic."
Did Snape just compliment me? How unusual…
"Er…maybe I just have a very good wand," Lily returned stupidly, unprepared to accept accolade from the man who had previously belittled her and almost driven her to tears.
"The wizard makes the wand, not the other way," Snape countered profoundly, his gaze steadfast.
"I'll have to remember that…" Lily muttered, uneasy about the obvious manner in which her tutor was now scrutinizing her. She knew she must have confused him—upset his previous assumptions about her—and now he seemed determined to truly figure her out.
If anyone could figure out my true identity, it would be him…
Her prayers for reprieve from Snape's perceptive stare were answered when a light knock sounded on the classroom door and Frank popped his blonde head in. "Sorry for the interruption Aurora, but the dance teacher has just arrived and she wants us to start before lunch."
Lily looked between Frank and Snape; neither wizard acknowledged the other, both childishly discounting the other's existence. She arose from her seat and turned to say goodbye to Snape, who appeared visibly annoyed by both Frank's presence and the interruption of his embarrassing contemplation of her. "I'd appreciate it if you kept what I've told you today to yourself, Professor Snape."
"Fine," he muttered coolly, frowning.
"Thank you," Lily whispered genuinely, turning her back to him and crossing the room toward Frank, who was impatiently drumming his foot against the floor. She couldn't escape fast enough.
"Aurora?"
Momentarily thwarted, she stopped and turned in reaction to the deep voice.
"We'll meet again after dinner. Bring your charms textbook with you this time."
Great. Another opportunity for him to stare at me like I've grown a second head.
"Alright, see you then," Lily reluctantly agreed, bolting for the door before Snape could get another word in.
Snape watched as Aurora and Frank disappeared out of the room, listening as their voices echoed in the corridors until they descended down the moving staircases. He sunk into his chair, the back of his neck prickling with the pain from Aurora's exceptionally strong attack, and attempted to replay the events of the last hour over in his head.
Lady Aurora Rockford was a speed reader with an eidetic memory. She could read half of a textbook in a night and—without instruction—perform reasonably challenging spells, which also made her a self-learner. Furthermore, she appeared to have a natural talent for magic. These abilities, however, were not what impressed Snape the most; rather, it was the power which Aurora Rockford possessed.
When she had first lit the end of her wand, she had produced a light so brilliant he had chastised her for showing off. When she had accidentally uttered the incantation for the fire charm, she had produced enchanted fire—the kind bordering on dark magic. And when she had disarmed him, she had not only driven his wand from his hand, but forcefully knocked him backwards. Likely unbeknownst to her, Aurora Rockford was brimming with untrained power; a fact which both captivated and confused Snape. She was showing signs of great potential, and the thought of helping her realize her power…thereby releasing it…excited him, for there was nothing Severus Snape loved more than power.
We'll just have to see how much of Dumbledore's talents you've inherited, Lady Rockford.
Author's Notes
Please continue to read and review :)
-pratty-prongs-princesse